Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, western Wyoming, and northern Utah; disjunct in Quebec.

Habitat: Cliff crevices and moist, rocky slopes, foothills to near timberline, often on serpentine

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Small perennials, terrestrial or lithophytes, 8-25 cm; stems somewhat compact, creeping, branched, tips ascending; scales typically dark brown, commonly with narrow portion of margins a lighter color, lanceolate, margins entire.

Leaves monomorphic or somewhat dimorphic; fertile leaves more erect than sterile ones, on long petioles usually 2-5 times longer than blades and dark reddish brown, fertile blades with more ascending pinnae and thinner segments than sterile blades; blade 3-4-pinnate, 2-10 cm, slightly leathery; ultimate segments linear, 3-8 mm; midrib prominent on lower surface.

Sori of mature blades continuous along length of segments but not at apex; indusia linear, margins erose or with 10-35 shallow and regular teeth; spores 64 per sporangia, dark brown, tetrahedral-globose, netted.