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Home/Species/ Blunt-lobe Cliff Fern

Woodsia obtusa

(Spreng.) Torr.

Blunt-lobe Cliff Fern

G5Secure Found in 21 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134936
Element CodePPDRY0U070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderPolypodiales
FamilyWoodsiaceae
GenusWoodsia
Synonyms
Physematium obtusum(Spreng.) Hook.
Other Common Names
bluntlobe cliff fern (EN) Blunt-lobed Cliff Fern (EN) Blunt-lobed Woodsia (EN) Common Cliff Fern (EN) Woodsie à lobes arrondis (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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-19
Change Date1984-10-03
Edition Date2024-09-19
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Woodsia obtusa is a wide-ranging perennial fern on cliffs and rocky slopes occurring throughout eastern North America from Quebec and Ontario, Canada south through Maine west to Minnesota and Nebraska to Florida and Texas in the United States with two subspecies. Threats include development, quarrying, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, recreational activities, succession, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Woodsia obtusa occurs throughout eastern North America from Quebec and Ontario, Canada south through Maine west to Minnesota and Nebraska to Florida and Texas in the United States (FNA 1993, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). "Reports of this species from the trans-Pecos region of western Texas are apparently based on misidentifications" (FNA 1993). Range extent was estimated to be almost 4 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). See individual entries for distribution details about the two subspecies.
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 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, quarrying, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, recreational activities, succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Woodsia obtusa grows on cliffs and rocky slopes, moist talus, rarely terrestrial though possible near rock outcrops, found on a variety of substrates including both granite, limestone, and sandstone (FNA 1993, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
MichiganS1Yes
IndianaSNRYes
MississippiS4Yes
MaineS1Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
New JerseySNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
VermontS3Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
KansasSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
DelawareS2Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
KentuckySNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
MinnesotaS3Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
IllinoisS5Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
New YorkS5Yes
CanadaN2
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecSNRYes
OntarioS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (21)
Arkansas (3)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Swan Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest7,310
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Graveyard Ridge (addition)Pisgah National Forest1,958
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Rogers RidgeCherokee National Forest4,738
Virginia (10)
AreaForestAcres
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
James River AdditionJefferson National Forest1,140
JerkemtightGeorge Washington National Forest16,687
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Price MountainJefferson National Forest9,119
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Rogers RunJefferson National Forest181
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
References (6)
  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. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).