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Pellaea atropurpurea

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Purple-stem Cliffbrake

G5Secure Found in 25 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146055
Element CodePPADI0H020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyPteridaceae
GenusPellaea
Other Common Names
Pelléade à stipe pourpre (FR) Purple Cliffbrake (EN) purple cliffbrake (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-06-13
Change Date1984-01-19
Edition Date2024-06-13
Edition AuthorsHandwerk, J. (2010), rev. Soteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Pellaea atropurpurea is a wide-ranging perennial fern on calcareous rock outcrops, cliffs, and slopes occurring in North and Central America from Ontario and Quebec, Canada south to the Gulf states and west to Nevada in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala in Central America. Threats include limestone quarrying, invasive species, lack of fire leading to succession, recreation (including off-road vehicles), erosion, livestock grazing, deer browse, and other threats in some places. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Pellaea atropurpurea occurs in North and Central America from Ontario and Quebec, Canada south to the Gulf states and west to Nevada in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala in Central America (FNA 1993). Range extent was estimated to be over 9 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species has a low-level threat from limestone quarrying (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002), with additional potential threats from invasive species, lack of fire leading to succession, recreation (including off-road vehicles), erosion, livestock grazing, deer browse, and other threats in some places (NatureServe 2024). There is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand the scope and severity of threats for this taxon. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Pellaea atropurpurea grows on calcareous (limestone) outcrops, cliffs and rocky slopes, or other rocks (usually either calcareous, subcalcareous, or mafic) and rarely on masonry walls (FNA 1993, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN3
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS2Yes
OntarioS3Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
Rhode IslandS1Yes
MissouriSNRYes
GeorgiaS4Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
NevadaS1Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
New HampshireS1Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS4Yes
New JerseyS4Yes
IowaS1Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
VermontS3Yes
WisconsinS2Yes
IllinoisS4Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
KentuckyS4Yes
WyomingSNRYes
MississippiS1Yes
OhioSNRYes
FloridaS1Yes
DelawareSNANo
TexasSNRYes
UtahS1Yes
MichiganS2Yes
South CarolinaS1Yes
LouisianaSXYes
ColoradoS3Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MinnesotaS3Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
NebraskaS2Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
MarylandSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
MassachusettsS3Yes
KansasS5Yes
New YorkS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownUnknown
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingUnknownUnknownUnknown
2.3.4 - Scale unknown/unrecordedUnknownUnknownUnknown
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownUnknown
3.2 - Mining & quarryingUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensityUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.2.2 - Named speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown
9 - PollutionUnknownUnknownUnknown
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsUnknownUnknownUnknown
9.3.2 - Soil erosion, sedimentationUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (25)
Arizona (8)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Sierra Ancha Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest7,787
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Irish Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest1,226
New Mexico (7)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Hell HoleGila National Forest19,553
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Ryan HillCibola National Forest34,201
Sawyers PeakGila National Forest59,743
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
JerkemtightGeorge Washington National Forest16,687
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
References (10)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1993a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xvi + 475 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Lellinger, D.B. 1985. A field manual of the ferns and fern-allies of the U.S. and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 389 pp.
  6. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  9. Spackman, S., B. Jennings, J. Coles, C. Dawson, M. Minton, A. Kratz, and C. Spurrier. 1997. Colorado rare plant field guide. Prepared for Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Colorado Natural Heritage Program.
  10. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.