Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Olympic Mountains in Washington; southern British Columbia to California, east to western Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

Habitat: Cliffs and rocky slopes from middle elevations to alpine.

Spores: May-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Lithophytic perennials; stems short-creeping, 4-8 mm in diameter; scales uniformly brown or with a weakly defined dark central stripe, linear lanceolate, straight to somewhat contorted, loosely appressed, persistent.

Leaves in clusters, 5-25 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad, young leaf bud arrangement noncircinate; petiole dark brown, rounded above; blade, linear-oblong, 2-3-pinnate at base; rachis rounded on upper surface, with dispersed linear scales, pubescence absent; pinnae not articulate, dark stalk color continuing into pinna base, basal pair not noticeably larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing only slightly pubescent or glabrous on upper surface; midribs green on upper surface for majority of length, scales beneath arranged in several rows, linear and truncate at base, inconspicuous, 0.1-0.4 mm wide at most, loosely imbricate, not hiding ultimate segments, long-ciliate with cilia typically confined to base; ultimate segments oblong or rarely ovate, beadlike, 1.5-3 mm at most, lower surface densely covered with branched hairs and small ciliate scales, upper surface with dispersed and branched hairs or glabrescent.

False indusia 0.05-0.25 mm; sori continuous around segment margins; sporangia each containing 64 spores.