Cheilanthes candida M.Martens & Galeotti

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

  • Family

    Pteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Cheilanthes candida M.Martens & Galeotti

  • Description

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    Species Description - Rhizome stout, compact, horizontal to ascending; rhizome scales 2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate, bicolorous, with broad castaneous streak, margin entire to suberose (in ours) to ciliate; fronds to ca. 34 cm long; stipe ½-2/3 the frond length, atropurpureous to black, terete, with lanceolate scales of rhizome at the base, glabrous except some white glands; blade ovate-pentagonal or narrower, pinnate-pinnatifid except for lowest pinnae pair which are in turn pinnate-pinnatifid, lowest pair exaggerated basiscopically, basal pinnule of pinna above basal pinna separated from next pinnule on same pinna by dark pinna rachis, 4-8 pairs of pinnatifid pinnae above basal pinna; upper surface glabrous to a few scattered farina glands; lower surface white farinose; sori at vein tips, laminar margin slightly curved, not modified into false indusium; spores tan to black.

  • Discussion

    Notholaena candida (Martens & Galeotti) Hooker, Sp. fil. 5: 110. 1864. Aleuritopteris candida (Martens & Galeotti) Fée, Mém. foug. 5: 154. 1850-1852. Type. Mexico. Jalisco: N of Guadalajara, Galeotti 6442 (BR!, photo BM!; isotypes BR!). Notholaena copelandii C. C. Hall, Amer. Fern J. 40: 181, t. 16. 1950. Notholaena candida (Martens & Galeotti) Hooker var. copelandii (C. C. Hall) R. Tryon in Weatherby, J. Arnold Arbor. 24: 316.1943. Type: Mexico. Nuevo León: Nr. Monterrey, Pringle 2038 (UC; isotype F). For additional synonyms, see R. Tryon (1956). Cheilanthes candida var. copelandii, segregated from the type variety, was thought to be found in the north (Texas; Coah, Tam, NL) and distinguished by its ciliate rhizome scales, the apex of the basal pinnae past the basal pinnule only pinnate-pinnatifid, and apex of the blade abruptly contracted to a more or less well-defined terminal pinna. There are numerous intermediate specimens, however, and the characters do not always correlate with each other or with geography, making the segregation of this variety tenuous. The species description given here is the species in the broad sense over its entire range. This species closely resembles C. farinosa but lacks a false indusium.

  • Distribution

    Dry, rocky, scrubby hillsides; Huajuapan, Miahuatlán, Nochixtlán, Sola de Vega, Teotitlán, Tlacolula; 800-1700 m. Mexico (BC, Son, Chih, Coah, Sin, Dgo, Nay, Jal, Gro, Mex, Mor, NL, SLP, Tam, Hgo, Ver, Pue, Oax, Chis); US (Tex); Guat to Nic.

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