FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS OF ARIZONA 35 



In Arizona it is very common in open pine forests, 7,000 to 8,000 feet; 

 Kaibab Plateau (Coconino County), and White Mountains (Apache 

 County),, to the mountains of Cochise and Pima Counties. 



This fern is reported to be poisonous to cattle and horses when 

 eaten in large quantities, but the poisonous properties may be elimi- 

 nated by cooking, and the rootstocks and young fronds have been 

 utilized for food. 



14. ADIANTUM. Maidenhair 



Delicate graceful ferns of moist situations, the slender creeping 

 rhizome paleaceous; fronds clustered, ascending or pendent, the stipes 

 purplish black, polished; blades 2- to 3-pinnate at base; sori appear- 

 ing marginal, the sporangia borne on the underside of sharply reflexed 

 lobes. 



1. Adiantum capillus-veneris L., Sp. PL 1096. 1753. 



Adiantum modestum Underw., Torrey Bot. Club Bui. 28: 46. 



1901. 

 Adiantum rimicola Slosson, Torrey Bot. Club Bui. 41: 308. 



1914. 



Throughout most of the State, 1,600 to 6,000 feet, mostly on moist 

 cliffs and in springy places. Virginia to Florida, west to Missouri, 

 Utah, southern California, and the Mexican border region; also western 

 South Dakota and southern British Columbia; widely distributed in 

 tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. 



15. CHEILANTHES. Lipfern 



Small xerophilous ferns, mostly with pubescent, tomentose, or im- 

 bricate-paleaceous foliage; fronds uniform; blades 1- to 4-pinnate, the 

 ultimate segments commonly minute; sori borne at the enlarged tips 

 of the veins, usually numerous and narrowly confluent, protected by 

 the recurved, more or less modified leaf margin or (as in C. lendigera) 

 by an introrse membranous proper indusium. 



Key to the species 



1. Rhizomes massive, multicipital, the divisions erect or decumbent, scarcely 

 creeping (2). 

 2. Leaf blades devoid of scales (3). 



3. Blades deltoid-ovate, subpentagonal, membranous, reddish-glandular be- 

 neath, otherwise glabrous throughout 1. C. pyramidalis. 



3. Blades linear-oblong to ovate, herbaceous, laxly whitish-villous above, 



densely fulvous-tomentose beneath 2. C. feei. 



2. Leaf blades scaly, at least along the primary rachis (4) . 



4. Pinnae copiously imbricate-paleaceous beneath, the large whitish ovate 



scales concealing the segments; segments coarsely villous above, the 



hairs stiff, flattish, tortuous 3. C. villosa. 



4. Pinnae imbricate-paleaceous along the rachis, the scales not concealing 

 the segments; segments not coarsely villous above (o). 

 5. Segments hoary above, densely tomentose on both surfaces, the en- 

 tangled hairs closely enveloping and joining the fragile segments. 



4. C. eatoni. 

 5. Segments green and delicately villous-tomentose above, glabrescent 

 with age, separate, not entangled (6). 

 6. Scales of rachises nearly capillary, pale cinnamomeous, lax. 



5. C. TOMENTOSA, 

 6. Scales more abundant, extending to the minor rachises. narrowh lan- 

 ceolate, castaneous ,__ 6. C. CASTANEA. 



