#cliffbrake

[chaparraljournal]

Bird’s foot cliffbrake (Pellaea mucronata) is a fern usually found in rocky areas. It’s native to California.

[drhoz]

#2242 - Pellaea rotundifolia - Button Fern

From the Greek word πελλος (pellos), meaning "dark," and refers to the brown stems, and the Latin rotundifolia means "round-leaved". The genus are usually refered to as cliffbrakes, growing in rocky habitats, including moist rocky canyons, slopes, and bluffs.

New Zealand, but now also growing in Australia. Quite a popular garden plant, prefering drier soil than most ferns. Compact, with fronds up to 460mm long,

Huka Falls, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

[txwitchery]

Ovate-leaf Cliffbrake

Pellaea ovata

This fern may often be found in rocky, moist habitats like canyons and slopes. Its distinctive leaves often display the visible sporangia around the edge of the underside. There is not much folkloric or even botanical information out there due to its very limited central Texas range. However, that does not make it worth overlooking, as it is still a beautiful plant easily admired along shady trails in our area. 

Used in the Zapotec ncuàan-dzéb-guièel, or ‘night fright medicine’, I believe this plant makes a great charm against nightmares, anxious insomnia, and night terrors. I associate it with Diana, the Moon, Earth, and the astrological sign Virgo.