Scientific Name: Astrolepis cochisensis
Synonyms: Cheilanthes cochisensis, C. sinuata var. cochisensis
Common Name: Cochise Scaly Cloakfern
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb, Fern
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland. It grows in rocky canyons and on hillsides in the shade of large rocks or in rock crevices.
Flower Color: Non-flowering
Height: To 16 inches (41 cm) tall
Description: The fronds are arching to erect, pinnate, and have hairy, reddish brown stems and oval, 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) long leaflets. The leaflets have 0 to 3 pairs of shallow, rounded lobes and are dull green to gray-green and dotted with persistent, white, stellate scales above and felted brown with scattered white scales below.
The similar Hybrid Cloakfern (Astrolepis integerrima) has asymmetrically lobed or entire leaflets with a dense cover of scales above, while Wavy Scaly Cloakfern (Astrolepis sinuata) has leaflets with 5 or more deep, often acute lobes and a sparsely scaled to glabrescent upper surface.
Poisonous – This plant is poisonous to sheep and goats.
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Division: Pteridophyta – Ferns
Family: Pteridaceae – Maidenhair Fern family
Genus: Astrolepis Benham & Windham – cloakfern
Species: Astrolepis cochisensis (Goodding) Benham & Windham – Cochise scaly cloakfern
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