Description
Bundle of 5
At a Glance: This delicate palmately-branched fern thrives in shady, humus-rich sites in moist often rocky forests, on stream banks, cliffs and in the spray zone of waterfalls.
Leaves: Leaves are lustrous on dark brown to purplish-black erect stipes 6-24” tall. The top of the leaf stalk is divided into 2 and these divisions divided again. Blades are set nearly at right angles to the leaf stalk, parallel to the ground. Each leaflet with oblong or fan-shaped ultimate segments. Smooth and flat on the lower margin and cleft into ragged, rectangular lobes on the upper margin.
SORI: Spore producing structures are oblong, on the edges of the upper lobes of the leaflets. Flap like indusium formed by the in-rolled leaf margin.
Growing Conditions:
| Sun/Shade Tolerance | Hydrology | Elevation Range |
| Part sun/shade 40%-60%
Shade 20%-40% |
Moist
|
Low elevations
Mid elevations Sub-alpine elevations
|
References:
MacKinnon, A., Pojar, J., & Alaback, P. B. (1994). Plants of the Pacific Northwest coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Richmond, Wash: Lone Pine Publishing.
