Lindheimer's Lipfern (Wildlife and Wildflowers of Texas - Wildflowers Pt. 1)

Lindheimer's Lipfern

Myriopteris lindheimeri

Introduction ⁶

Lindheimer's Lipfern, or Fairy-Swords, is a rock-dwelling fern native to the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos regions of Texas, thriving off of the blistering sun and what little water trickles between the cliffside rubble. This species is the only Cheilanthes species with long-creeping rhizomes with leaves scattered along the rhizomes that occurs East of the Trans-Pecos.

Size ⁶

Height: 8" - 12" (20 - 30 cm)

Life Cycle ⁶

Sporulates March through November

Identification ⁶

Rhizomes are long-creeping, the scales uniformly brown; leaves are closely scattered, 7-30 cm long; petioles usually dark brown, rounded on upper surface; leaf blades oblong-lanceolate to ovate-deltate, 2-5 cm wide, 4 pinnate at base the pinnae not articulate, the ultimate segments rounded, bead-like, and tiny - the largest are 0.7-1 mm long, nearly glabrous on upper and lower surfaces; scales on underside of costae conspicuous, often concealing ultimate segments, long ciliate with the curly cilia forming an entangled mass. Distinguished from similar C. eatonii and C. tomentosa by long-creeping rhizomes.