r/ferns • u/UnambiguousRange • Dec 09 '24
Wild desert ferns Image
Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Park, Southern New Mexico, USA
Reposting because one "fern" was actually not a fern, it was some other plant.
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u/djk865 Dec 09 '24
Does anyone have IDs for all these? Love them
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u/UnambiguousRange Dec 09 '24
I was trying to use Google lens to identify, but it wasn't being helpful. And I couldn't tell if some were younger but of the same variety.
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u/RedouteRoses Dec 09 '24
I love how silvery they are! I don’t get to see this where I live on the east coast.
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u/UnambiguousRange Dec 09 '24
This might partially be an artifact of the intense sunlight and high contrast that my phone's camera can't effective deal with. Many of the plants here have small leaves that are hairy (like these) or waxy.
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u/RedouteRoses Dec 09 '24
Ah, good point. Though often those little hairs tend to give desert dwelling plants that silvery sheen that is hard not to see. I think they have that particular adaptation in order to prevent sunburn by deflecting/diffusing harsh sunlight?
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u/UnambiguousRange Dec 10 '24
Here's a short article about the desert ferns adaptations: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/nature/desert-ferns.htm
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u/PhanThom-art Dec 09 '24
So cool, I love the first one, looks like little oak leaves
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u/UnambiguousRange Dec 09 '24
This was the only one I saw like this and it was growing underneath a sotol (the long brown leaves with hooked edges). That's the one I'm most curious if the leaf shape is of a young plant or if this is the "adult" form.
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u/glue_object Dec 09 '24
Some nice finds. The Astrolepis cochinensis is always my fave!