Home/Species/ Mountain Bladderfern

Cystopteris montana

(Lam.) Bernh. ex Desv.

Mountain Bladderfern

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.160362

Element CodePPDRY07050

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumFilicinophyta

ClassFilicopsida

OrderPolypodiales

FamilyCystopteridaceae

GenusCystopteris

Synonyms

Cyathea montanaLam.Filix montana(Lam.) Underw.Polypodium montanumLam.

Other Common Names

Cystoptère des montagnes (FR)

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.

Taxonomic Comments

This species does not hybridize with other members of the genus in North America (FNA 1993, vol. 2). It is included in a synopsis of the genus (Shmakov et al. 2018), and the generic placement of this taxon, in Cystopteris, is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2019-10-19

Change Date1993-06-16

Range Extent Comments

AK to Lab., south to Que., nw. MT, and B.C.; disjunct in CO. Peripheral.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Mountain Bladder Fern has delicate fronds arising singly from dark, cord-like, creeping rhizomes. The black, sparsely scaly petioles, 6-30 cm long, are longer than the triangular blades, which are 6-14 cm long and wide. The blade is pinnately divided into numerous pairs of leaflets, which become smaller towards the tip. The lower leaflets are again 2-3 times pinnately divided, while the upper leaflets are only pinnately lobed. The first downward pointing division of each of the 2 lowest leaflets is noticeably longer than the paired upward pointing divisions. Clusters of spores, or sori, are borne on veins just in from the edges on the undersides of the blades. Each sorus is partially contained in a whitish membranous pocket, or indusium.

Diagnostic Characteristics

The blades of C. FRAGILIS are at least twice as long as they are wide. GYMNOCARPIUM DRYOPTERIS has a triangular blade, but it is somewhat wider than it is long, and the sorus lacks an indusium. DRYOPTERIS AUSTRIACA has blades that are over 20 cm long.

Other Nations (2)

United StatesNNR

Province	Rank	Native
Montana	SH	Yes
Colorado	S2	Yes
Alaska	S4	Yes

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Island of Newfoundland	S1	Yes
Ontario	S1	Yes
Quebec	S4	Yes
Northwest Territories	S3	Yes
Yukon Territory	S4	Yes
Saskatchewan	S1	Yes
Labrador	S2	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Alberta	S3	Yes

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

Alaska (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Freshwater Bay	Tongass National Forest	44,933
Game Creek	Tongass National Forest	54,469

References (5)

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.
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.
McLaughlin, W. T. 1935. Notes on the flora of Glacier National Park, Montana. Rhodora 37:362-365.
Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
Shmakov, A.I., Batkin, A.A., and A.V. Vaganov. 2018. Synopsis of the genus <i>Cystopteris</i> Bernh. (Cystopteridaceae). Ukrainian Journal of Ecology 8(4): 290-297.