Powdery False Cloak Fern

Description

Leaves to only ca. 15 cm long, evergreen; leaf blades 3-5-pinnate, less divided distally, somewhat herbaceous, the upper surface bluish green, glabrous or with a few glands, the lower surface with very conspicuous whitish powdery or wax-like material; 2n = 54 (Windham 1993b). Crevices of limestone and other calcareous rocks; mainly Cross Timbers and Prairies and e Edwards Plateau n to Wise Co. (O-Kennon & S. Lusk 18673, BRIT) and e to Bell (TAES), Travis (BRIT), Comal (TEX-LL), Hays (Turner et al. 2003), and Ellis (Correll 1956) cos. near w margin of Blackland Prairie; AR, IL, KS, MO, NE, OK, and TX and slightly disjunct to the e in KY. Sporulating summer-fall. [Cheilanthes dealbata Pursh, Notholaena dealbata (Pursh) Kunze, Pellaea dealbata (Pursh) Prantl] This species has a striking color contrast between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf blades-bluish green above and with obvious whitish farina