Connecticut Plants
Hairy Lipfern
Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eat.

Hairy lipfern is endangered in the state of Connecticut.

  • Family: maidenhair fern (Pteridaceae)
  • Habitat: rock ledges and rocky slopes
  • Height: 6-14 inches
  • Location of spores: underside of fronds, partly covered by the rolled edges of the leaf
  • Petiole (leaf stalk): dark brown or purple, hairy, wiry, and brittle
  • Growth pattern: asymmetric clump
  • Persistence: deciduous
  • Origin: native
Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eat.

The photo above shows a cultivated plant, growing in the New England Wild Flower Society's botanical garden.

Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eat.
Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eat.

Underside of a frond, showing the spore-bearing structures (brown).

Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eat.

Closeup of the underside of a frond. The round, dark brown structures are sporangia, each of which contains 64 spores. Note the long tan hairs on both leaf blade and rachis.