Mrs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mrs |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Myriopteris
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| Species: |
cooperae
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| Synonyms | |
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Myriopteris cooperae, also known as Mrs. Cooper's lip fern or Cooper's lip fern, is a special type of fern. It used to be called Cheilanthes cooperae. This fern gets its name from Sarah Paxon Cooper, who first collected a sample of it. A scientist named D. C. Eaton named it in her honor.
Contents
Where Cooper's Lip Fern Lives
This fern is found only in California, which means it is endemic to that state. While you can find it in many parts of California, it is not super common.
It likes to grow in rocky places, often in cracks and crevices. You can usually spot it on limestone rocks. It also thrives in areas like chaparral, which are dry shrublands.
What Cooper's Lip Fern Looks Like
Leaves and Segments
The leaves of Cooper's lip fern can grow up to about 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) long. They are usually a few centimeters wide. Each leaf is made up of smaller parts called segments. These segments are divided even further into pairs of tiny, lobed pieces.
The leaves are a light green color. They also have tiny, sticky hairs called glandular hairs. These hairs can make the fern feel a bit fuzzy or rough.
Sori and Spores
The smallest parts of the fern's leaves are oval-shaped. On the underside of these tiny segments, you can find special clusters called sori (SOH-ree). Sori are like little dots or lines.
Inside these sori are tiny cases called sporangia (spor-AN-jee-uh). These sporangia are tan-colored. They hold the fern's spores, which are like seeds for ferns. Spores help the fern reproduce and spread to new places.
