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Pellaea mucronata  (D. C. Eaton) D. C. Eaton
Bird's foot fern,   Birdfoot cliffbrake,   Birdfoot fern,   Bird foot fern
© 2012 Ron Vanderhoff
© 2022 Helen Hancock
© 2023 Julia Markey
© 2022 Ann Garside
© 2023 Mike Russler
© 2023 David Strauch
© 2018 Rachelle Gray
© 2019 Aaron Echols
© 2019 Diane Etchison
© 2024 Julia Markey
© 2017 Keir Morse
© 2021 R.A. Chasey
© 2021 R.A. Chasey
© 2020 Matt Berger
© 2020 R.A. Chasey
Pellaea mucronata is a fern that is native to California, and found only slightly beyond California borders.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Pellaea
Family: Pteridaceae  
Category: fern  
PLANTS group:Fern
Jepson eFlora section: fern

Communities: Coastal Sage Scrub, Yellow Pine Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, many plant communities
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
POWOHemionitis mucronata
Information about  Pellaea mucronata from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (PEMU)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range: It is native to much of California, and parts of Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Baja California, where it grows in various types of rocky habitat. The subspecies californica is limited to California, while ssp. mucronata can be found outside that state's borders. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2025).