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Myriopteris intertexta

(Maxon) Grusz & Windham

Coastal Lipfern

G4Apparently Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.157086
Element CodePPADI090D0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyPteridaceae
GenusMyriopteris
Synonyms
Cheilanthes covillei ssp. intertextaMaxonCheilanthes intertexta(Maxon) Maxon
Other Common Names
coastal lipfern (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.
Taxonomic Comments
Grusz and Windham (2013) newly combine this species in Myriopteris. The generic placement of this taxon, in Myriopteris, is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2026-08-25
Change Date2026-08-25
Edition Date2026-08-25
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2026)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Myriopteris intertexta is a wide-ranging perennial fern found at the bases of rocks in crevices, on rocky slopes, ledges, and rock faces. It is endemic to the western United States from south-central Washington south to California, west to northwestern Arizona and Utah. There are over 150 occurrences, which face threats from mining and hybridization. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Myriopteris intertexta is endemic to the western United States from south-central Washington south to California, west to northwestern Arizona and disjunct in Utah (FNA 1993, Legler and Giblin 2024, SEINet 2026). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 750,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2026 (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, NatureServe 2026, SEINet 2026).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2026, it is estimated that there are over 150 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, NatureServe 2026, SEINet 2026). Due to difficulty with identification of this entity, herbarium records and photo-based observations may underrepresent true abundance.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by mining and hybridization with M. covillei and M. gracillima, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species rangewide (FNA 1993, Jepson Flora Project 2026, NatureServe 2026).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Myriopteris intertexta grows on rocky slopes and ledges, rock faces, and basalt outcroppings, at the bases of rocks in crevices, usually on igneous substrates (FNA 1993, Legler and Giblin 2024, Jepson Flora Project 2026).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS1Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
UtahSNRYes
WashingtonSNRYes
NevadaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8.3 - Introduced genetic materialUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (6)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Laurel McgeeInyo National Forest8,770
Nevahbe RidgeInyo National Forest302
Sill HillCleveland National Forest5,294
Slate Mtn.Sequoia National Forest12,299
Utah (2)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. OlympusWasatch-Cache National Forest9,982
Twin PeaksWasatch-Cache National Forest6,157
References (11)
  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). 2026. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2026).
  3. Grusz, A.L. and M.D. Windham. 2013. Toward a monophyletic Cheilanthes: The resurrection and recircumscription of Myriopteris (Pteridaceae). PhytoKeys 32: 49-64. Online. Available: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.32.6733.
  4. iNaturalist. 2026. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2026).
  5. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2026. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ (accessed 2026).
  6. 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.
  7. Legler, B.S., and D.E. Giblin. 2024. <i>Myriopteris</i>. Pp. 56 in Hitchcock, C. L. and A. Cronquist. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An illustrated manual, 2nd edition. Edited by D. E. Giblin, B. S. Legler, P. F. Zika, and R. G. Olmstead. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA.
  8. NatureServe. 2026. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  9. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  10. Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
  11. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2026. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2026).