''Cryptogramma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s known commonly as rockbrakes or parsley ferns. They are one of the three genera in the

Cryptogrammoideae Cryptogrammoideae is a subfamily of ferns in the family Pteridaceae. The subfamily contains three genera and about 23 species. Taxonomy In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), Cryptogrammoideae is one of the five subf ...

subfamily of the Pteridaceae. ''Cryptogramma'' ferns can be found in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions on several continents worldwide. These ferns have two kinds of leaves which often look so different that at first glance they appear to belong to different plants. The fertile leaves have long, narrow, bumpy segments with undersides covered thickly in

sporangia A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cy ...

. The edges of the segments may curl back to cover the sporangia, forming a false indusium. The sterile leaves have thinner, wider segments which may be rounded and resemble the leaves of

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

. These ferns grow in rocky areas, often in crevices and cracks.

Distribution

In North America, species within this genus are distributed over western and northern United States, Northwestern Mexico, and Canada.

Species

*''

Cryptogramma acrostichoides ''Cryptogramma acrostichoides'' is a fern species in the Cryptogrammoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. It is known by the common names American parsley fern and American rockbrake and is native to most of western North America, where it grows ...

'' - American rockbrake *''

Cryptogramma cascadensis ''Cryptogramma cascadensis'' is a species of fern known by the common names Cascade parsley fern and Cascade rockbrake. Description The plant forms a clump from a rhizome. It has two types of leaves. The sterile leaf is flat with lobed oval or ...

'' - Cascade rockbrake *'' Cryptogramma crispa'' - parsley fern *'' Cryptogramma sitchensis'' - Sitka rockbrake *'' Cryptogramma stelleri'' - fragile rockbrake, Steller's rockbrake, slender rockbrake

References

Jepson Manual Treatment

USDA Plants Profile

genus description
Pteridaceae Fern genera Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) {{Pteridaceae-stub