Silver fern (Pityrogramma calomelanos)

akis perak or silver fern (Pityrogramma calomelanos) is a plant species in Pteridaceae, shrub fern, short and erect rhizomes, dark brown woody stems, grows in rocky or sandy soil, stems have smooth rhizomes, spread and are covered by side scales.

P. calomelanos has small cylindrical stems and fibrous roots. Black petiole. Single leaf is green, simple, pinnate or compound, jagged, pointed end and pinnate. Ental double pinnate, alternating and covered with silver flour.

Sexual reproduction uses spores in male and female gametes, while asexuals go through division. Three varieties recorded are Pityrogramma calomelanos var. aureoflava, Pityrogramma calomelanos ssp. austroamericana and Pityrogramma calomelanos var. calomelanos.

Silver ferns grow in open areas on rocky and sandy soils on slopes, often found on the banks of open or protected rivers, flourishing well on highlands up to 1200 meters. Generally live in tight or loose groups that cover an area.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Order: Polypodiales
Family: Pteridaceae
Subfamily: Pteridoideae
Genus: Pityrogramma
Species: Pityrogramma calomelanos
Varieties: Pityrogramma calomelanos var. aureoflava, Pityrogramma calomelanos ssp. austroamericana, Pityrogramma calomelanos var. calomelanos

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Whipple’s Cryptantha (Cryptantha whippleae), serpentine-adapted species endemic to northern California

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