Copy permalink to share
Pteridaceae
Astrolepis

not marked as a favorite taxon Astrolepis D.M. Benham & Windham. Common name: Star-scaled Cloak Fern.

Key to Astrolepis

A genus of about 8 species, of s. North America, Central America, South America, and the West Indies. This group of species has traditionally been placed either in Notholaena or Cheilanthes, but is best recognized as a separate genus, more closely related to Argyrochosma, Pellaea, and Cheilanthes than to Notholaena (Gastony & Rollo 1998; PPG I 2016).

Glossary (beta!)

ID notes: Astrolepis has grayish or bluish pinnate leaves (the pinnae sometimes lobed), with tiny, whitish, star-shaped scales on the upper leaf surface and white to brown, lanceolate, and shaggily fringed scales on the lower surface. Astrolepis occurs in dry, usually rock outcrop associated situations in our region.

References: Benham & Windham (1993) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (1993b); Gastony & Rollo (1998); Tryon, Tryon, & Kramer In Kramer & Green (1990). Show full citations.

Show in key(s)

Show parent family | Show parent in key(s)

Show species in Astrolepis

Your browser does not support SVGs

Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend. Data for arrows not developed for genera and families which may have species only occurring outside the flora area.

image #1 of Astrolepis© Alan Cressler: Astrolepis integerrima, Danger Glade, Ketona Dolomite, Bibb County, Alabama 1 by Alan Cressler | Astrolepis integerrima source | Original Image ⭷
image #2 of Astrolepis© Alan Cressler: Astrolepis sinuata, Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail, Slaughter Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Eddy County, New Mexico 2 by Alan Cressler | Astrolepis sinuata ssp. sinuata source | Original Image ⭷
image #3 of Astrolepis© Alan Cressler: Astrolepis integerrima, Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail, Slaughter Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Eddy County, New Mexico 2 by Alan Cressler | Astrolepis integerrima source | Original Image ⭷
image #4 of Astrolepis© Alan Cressler: Astrolepis integerrima, Cloakfern Glade, Ketona Dolomite, Kathy Stiles Freeland Bibb County Glades Preserve, The Nature Conservancy, Bibb County, Alabama 3 by Alan Cressler | Astrolepis integerrima source | Original Image ⭷

Feedback

See something missing or incorrect about Astrolepis? Let us know here:
  1. Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
  2. If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
  3. Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
  4. Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
  5. Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.