E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Woodsia alpina (Bolton) Gray
alpine cliff fern (alpine woodsia)
Dryopteridaceae (Wood Fern family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Alfred Cook  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #26625)

 E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Woodsia alpina
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.
General:
Deciduous perennial arising in clusters from a short rhizome.
Leaves:
Narrowly lanceolate, 3-20 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, 2-pinnate, stipes jointed, rachis with scattered hairs and scales; ultimate segments fan-like, with shallow teeth towards the tips.
Notes:
Plants of W. alpina resemble diminutive plants of Cystopteris fragilis.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist calcareous rocks in the montane and subalpine zones; rare in N BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, NY, MI and MN; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Woodsia alpina

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 1099 1503 1740
Slope Gradient (%) 35 47 57
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		190 225 260
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 1 2
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 3
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BAFA
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BAFA(2), IDF(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Woodsia alpina var. bellii G. Lawson
Woodsia glabella var. bellii (Lawson) Lawson

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Dryopteridaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Woodsia alpina
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-10-28 4:19:46 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
© E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.