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Pellaea glabella — slender cliff-brake

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Facts

Slender cliff-brake is found in western New England on high-pH cliffs, or sometimes on roadcuts, or once in Massachusetts in the mortar of a brick wall. It can be distinguished from its close relative purple cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea) by the lack of hairs on the ultimate leaf segments.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), cliffs, balds, or ledges, ridges or ledges

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont
Show all characteristics
  • Leaves

    Features of leaves
    there are no special features on the leaves
  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Massachusetts
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • cliffs, balds, or ledges
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • ridges or ledges

Wetland status

Not classified

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
absent
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Connecticut
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)
Vermont
uncommon (S-rank: S3)

ssp. glabella

Massachusetts
unranked (S-rank: SNR)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

2.  Pellaea glabella Mett. ex Kuhn ssp. glabella N

slender cliff-brake. CT, MA, VT. High-pH cliffs, sometimes on roadcuts and mortar of stone 
and brick walls. The MA occurrence was collected from human-created substrate (a brick wall) in an urban setting.

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Pellaea atropurpurea

Family

Pteridaceae

Genus

Pellaea