Rocky Mountain woodsia (Woodsia scopulina)
Wood Fern family (Dryopteridaceae)
Rocky Mountain woodsia is a small fern, reaching 8 in tall. Has short scaly rhizomes. Its erect to ascending hairy fronds (leaves) are lance-shaped and have divided leaflets (pinnae), which are divided again into pinnules. Some of the hairs are glandular. The leaflets are ovate, longer than wide, and relatively widely spaced. The pinnules are dentate and frequently shallowly lobed. The hairy frond stalk (rachis) is reddish brown to purple basally. Spores grouped into small round sori on undersides of leaves in the summer. Found in the western and northern United States and Canada. It occurs mostly in mesic to dry rock crevices and ledges exposed to sunlight in the subalpine. Also known as mountain cliff fern and cliff woodsia fern.
Listed as threatened in MN.
Copyright Brett Miley
