Showy maiden fern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Showy maiden fern
Christella puberula var. sonorensis
Conservation status
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Aspidium orizabae Fée Aspidium puberulum (Baker) Fée Dryopteris augescens var. puberula (Baker) C.Chr. Dryopteris feei C.Chr. Dryopteris orizabae (Fée) C.Chr. Dryopteris puberula (Baker) Kuntze Filix-mas augescens var. puberula (Baker) Farw. Lastrea orizabae (Fée) Moore Nephrodium puberulum Baker Thelypteris augescens var. puberula (Baker) Munz & I.M.Johnst. Thelypteris feei (C.Chr.) Moxley Thelypteris orizabae (Fée) Christenh. Thelypteris puberula (Baker) Morton

Christella puberula, synonym Thelypteris puberula, is a species of fern known by the common name showy maiden fern. The variety Ch. puberula var. sonorensis is known by the common name Sonoran maiden fern.

It is native to southwestern North America and Central America, from the foothills and deserts of California and Arizona south through Mexico to Costa Rica. It grows in canyons, streambanks, and seeps in several types of habitat. It is found at 50–550 metres (160–1,800 ft) 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-bearing sori.