''Christella puberula'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Thelypteris puberula'', is a species of

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 ...

known by the common name showy maiden fern. The variety ''Ch. puberula'' var. ''sonorensis'' is known by the common name Sonoran maiden fern.Jepson
Accessed 12.1.2011 It is native to southwestern North America and Central America, from the foothills and deserts of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

south through

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. It grows in canyons, streambanks, and

seep A seep or flush is a moist or wet place where water, usually groundwater, reaches the earth's surface from an underground aquifer. Description Seeps are usually not of sufficient volume to be flowing beyond their immediate above-ground location. ...

s in several types of habitat. It is found at in elevation.

Description

''Christella puberula'' produces a number of regularly shaped, equally spaced green leaves with numerous long, flat, lance-shaped leaflets. One leaf may exceed 1.5 meters in length, and the thick leaflets may be over 20 centimeters long. The undersides of the leaflets are hairy, especially on the indusia covering the

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

-bearing sori.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Thelypteris puberula'' var. ''sonorensis''Flora of North America''Thelypteris puberula'' - U.C. Photo gallery
Thelypteridaceae Ferns of the United States Ferns of California Flora of Central America Flora of Mexico Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Arizona Flora of Costa Rica Flora of Sonora Flora of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges {{Polypodiales-stub