About Polypodium scouleri Hook. & Grev.
Polypodium scouleri is a species of fern that has several common names: leathery polypody, Scouler's polypody, coast polypody, and leather-leaf fern. This fern is native to coastal western North America, ranging from British Columbia to Guadalupe Island, which lies off the coast of Baja California. It grows exclusively in coastal habitats, occupying cracks on coastal bluffs, oceanside forests, beach dunes, and similar coastal environments. The habitats where it grows are often exposed to heavy fogs and sea spray. This polypody anchors itself with a waxy, scaly rhizome. It produces leaves that are either triangular or oblong in shape, reaching a maximum length of 85 centimeters (33 inches) and a maximum width of 8 centimeters (3.1 inches). Each leaf is composed of many linear or oblong segments with rounded tips; these segments are typically stiff and leathery in texture, and their edges bear shallow, rounded teeth. The underside of each leaf segment is densely packed with rounded sori, each up to half a centimeter wide. These sori contain the fern's spores.
