Smooth Cliffbrake
ExplorarPlantas
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.
Hábitat: Found growing directly in dry to moist crevices of calcareous cliffs, limestone outcroppings, and occasionally old mortar walls.
Aspecto
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.
ReinoPlantaeFiloTracheophytaClasePolypodiopsidaOrdenPolypodialesFamiliaPteridaceaeGéneroPellaea
Categoría
PlantasRareza
Common
Peligro
1/5 · Muy bajo
Snaps
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Datos interesantes
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.
Habilidades especiales
Habilidad
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.
Habilidad
Lithophytic Anchoring
It utilizes highly specialized roots that can penetrate microscopic fissures in limestone, securing the plant against strong winds and erosion.
Habilidad
Apogamous Reproduction
It can reproduce without liquid water fertilization, allowing new sporophytes to develop directly from gametophytes to adapt to dry cliff faces.
Medidas y detalles
- Longitud
- 5-25 cm
- Peso
- 0.01-0.05 kg
- Esperanza de vida
- 5-15 años
Dieta y alimentación
As a photosynthetic plant, it manufactures its own sugars using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, while absorbing calcium and other minerals through its roots.
Alimentos principales
- Sunlight
- Carbon dioxide
- Water
- Limestone minerals
Método de búsqueda
- Foraging
Conexiones ecológicas
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.
Rasgos
Aún no hay insignias de rasgos asignadas a este objeto.
También conocido como
Todavía no hay alias listados.
Colecciones
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Seguridad
Peligro
1/5 · Muy bajo
Todavía no hay notas especiales de seguridad.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Cómo identificar a Smooth Cliffbrake?
La forma más fácil de identificar a Smooth Cliffbrake es usar la aplicación de identificación de naturaleza Snappit.
¿Cuál es el longitud de Smooth Cliffbrake?
5-25 cm
¿Cuál es el peso de Smooth Cliffbrake?
0.01-0.05 kg
¿Cuál es el esperanza de vida de Smooth Cliffbrake?
5-15 años
¿Qué come 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.
¿Dónde se encuentra normalmente Smooth Cliffbrake?
Found growing directly in dry to moist crevices of calcareous cliffs, limestone outcroppings, and occasionally old mortar walls.
¿Cómo caza Smooth Cliffbrake?
Foraging
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