The Status of the Non-Native Fern Cheilanthes viridis (Pteridaceae) in the United States.

Abstract

Cheilanthes viridis (Pteridaceae), green cliffbrake, is reported as new to the floras of Texas and Louisiana. This African native has long been cultivated as an ornamental fern and likely escaped to become naturalized in eastern Texas and adjacent Louisiana. The expanding distribution of the taxon in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas is discussed. Classification and taxonomy are also reviewed.