Ferns and Fern Allies of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas

Sharon C. Yarborough and A. Michael Powell.

Ferns are usually thought of as plants of moist, humid regions, and at first glance the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, a rugged portion of the arid Chihuahuan Desert, does not appear to be a likely location for ferns and their relatives. Yet in many seemingly unsuitable dry habitats, on shadowed slopes, in canyons, and near springs, seeps, and streams can be found sixty-four species of ferns and fourteen species of fern allies. The descriptions include information on which other parts of Texas and the US the ferns are found in. Detailed keys to the Trans-Pecos families, genera, and species allow anyone to identify an unknown fern from the region. The species descriptions give full scientific names, common names, synonyms, and descriptions of locations where the fern can be found, including specific information on their occurrence in Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. With a small selection of fern identification books available, this book, with it’s keys, glossary of terms and drawings, will be a good starting point for anyone interested in the ferns of the southwest.

Paperback, 2002, 128 pages, 6 × 9 ins., 37 line drawings, maps, keys, glossary, bibliography, index