Smooth Cliffbrake
EntdeckenPflanzen
Smooth Cliffbrake
pellaea glabella
The Smooth Cliffbrake is a small, resilient rock-dwelling fern that thrives where few other plants can survive. Often nestled tightly into the crevices of dry limestone cliffs and dolomite outcrops, this fern is highly adapted to calcareous environments. Its tough, leathery fronds and rich purplish-brown stems give it an elegant yet rugged appearance, standing as a testament to nature's ability to colonize the harshest of stone faces. As a perennial evergreen or semi-evergreen species, the Smooth Cliffbrake provides subtle green coloration to gray cliffs throughout the year. Its ability to curl up during dry spells and completely rejuvenate after rainfall makes it a fascinating subject for botany enthusiasts and hikers exploring rocky gorges.
Lebensraum: Found growing directly in dry to moist crevices of calcareous cliffs, limestone outcroppings, and occasionally old mortar walls.
Aussehen
This small fern typically grows in tufts, reaching 5 to 25 centimeters in height. Its fronds are once- or twice-pinnate, displaying a distinct bluish-green color and a leathery texture. The defining feature of the Smooth Cliffbrake is its smooth, shiny, purplish-brown to black stalks that lack the prominent hairs found on related species. Spores are produced in narrow bands along the undersides of the leaf margins, which curl inward to protect them.
ReichPlantaeStammTracheophytaKlassePolypodiopsidaOrdnungPolypodialesFamiliePteridaceaeGattungPellaea
Kategorie
PflanzenSeltenheit
Common
Gefahr
1/5 · Sehr gering
Snaps
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Interessante Fakten
During extreme drought, this resilient fern looks dead and brown, but a single rainstorm can trigger a complete green recovery within a day.
It is a true calciphile, which means it depends on calcium-rich rocks like dolomite or limestone to survive and grow.
The species name 'glabella' means 'smooth' or 'hairless', referring to its glossy, hairless stems which differentiate it from other cliffbrakes.
Besondere Fähigkeiten
Fähigkeit
Extreme Desiccation Tolerance
The fern can lose most of its water content and curl its leaves during droughts, only to uncurl and resume photosynthesis within hours of receiving rain.
Fähigkeit
Lithophytic Anchoring
It utilizes highly specialized roots that can penetrate microscopic fissures in limestone, securing the plant against strong winds and erosion.
Fähigkeit
Apogamous Reproduction
It can reproduce without liquid water fertilization, allowing new sporophytes to develop directly from gametophytes to adapt to dry cliff faces.
Maße und Details
- Länge
- 5-25 cm
- Gewicht
- 0.01-0.05 kg
- Lebenserwartung
- 5-15 Jahre
Ernährung und Fütterung
As a photosynthetic plant, it manufactures its own sugars using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, while absorbing calcium and other minerals through its roots.
Hauptnahrung
- Sunlight
- Carbon dioxide
- Water
- Limestone minerals
Nahrungssuche
- Foraging
Ökologische Zusammenhänge
competitor
Purple Cliffbrake
Pellaea atropurpurea
Competes for narrow crevice spaces and limited water resources on calcareous rock faces.
eaten by
Grey Field Slug
Deroceras reticulatum
Feeds occasionally on the young gametophytes and tender fronds in humid conditions.
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Sicherheit
Gefahr
1/5 · Sehr gering
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Häufig gestellte Fragen
Wie identifiziert man Smooth Cliffbrake?
Der einfachste Weg, Smooth Cliffbrake zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.
Was ist der/die/das länge von Smooth Cliffbrake?
5-25 cm
Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Smooth Cliffbrake?
0.01-0.05 kg
Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Smooth Cliffbrake?
5-15 Jahre
Was frisst Smooth Cliffbrake?
As a photosynthetic plant, it manufactures its own sugars using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, while absorbing calcium and other minerals through its roots.
Wo findet man Smooth Cliffbrake normalerweise?
Found growing directly in dry to moist crevices of calcareous cliffs, limestone outcroppings, and occasionally old mortar walls.
Wie jagt Smooth Cliffbrake?
Foraging
Snap-Karte
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