Cheilanthes (genus)

Rock Fern at Greenleigh, NSW

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Identification history

Cheilanthes (genus)	11 Jan 2017	MichaelMulvaney
Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia	1 Jan 2017	AaronClausen
Unverified	1 Jan 2017	CCPK

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User's notes

Small fernlike plants growing among bush rocks and crevices at the end of Lonergan Drive, Greenleigh, Queanbeyan

3 comments

dcnicholls wrote:

2 Jan 2017

What worries me about this ID is the larger, more mature frond. It looks closer to C. sieberi. No doubt there's a continuum between the two species, probably affected by environment. Not possible to be definitive without a full keying out.

AaronClausen wrote:

2 Jan 2017

David I don't have a clue and to be honest I have no idea the difference between C. sieberi and C. austrotenuifolia, but I was pretty sure it was one of the two. Will be guided by what you think is the closest match.

dcnicholls wrote:

3 Jan 2017

C. austrotenuifolia usually is found in more protected areas. It grows well in Pine Plantations. e.g., the western slopes of Mt Majura. The fronds are spreading and delicate, and very pretty. C. sieberi may or may not be a separate species, possibly a habitat variant. It tends to grow in exposed areas (e.g. the top of Mt Stromlo). Its pinnae don't flatten out and are usually short and somewhat "crinkled". But (as Max Gray told me many years ago), it's unclear if the two are separate species. I suspect a DNA analysis would tell the difference, if there is one. If pushed, I'd identify the specimen as C. austrotenuifolia.

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Location information

Coordinates 149.248009 -35.373044
Places Greenleigh, NSW

Sighting information

4 - 15 Abundance
15 Jan 2016 06:45 PM Recorded on
CCPK Recorded by
Collections
CCPK Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Ferns and Clubmosses Plants

Additional information

Less than 10cm Plant height

Species information

Cheilanthes (genus) Scientific name
Rock Fern Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 1034m Recorded at altitude
Machine learning

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania