Single Record

Species: Hemionitis engywookii [Argyrochosma fendleri] [Notholaena fendleri] [Cincinalis fendleri] etc.

PhotoRecords: YES Rich Haswell: Saguache Co, seep by Hwy 114, 12.7 air miles west of Saguache 17 July 2016

Comments: False cloak fern has been found on both sides of the Watershed, usually embedded in rock crevices found in rhyolite, basalt, and other igneous outcrops (often volcanic). This means Hemionitis engywookii occurs much more commonly on the western side of the Valley. The several vouchers from the Lower Basin are from the San Luis Hills volcanic horst. Note that almost all herbarium specimens are labeled "Argyrochosma fendleri." POWO treats this taxon now (2025) as Hemionitis engywookii. The USA distribution of the species is confined to Colorado and New Mexico (with rare occurrences in south Wyoming. It follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico but not into Texas. Note that in 2018 Maarten J. M. Christenhusz revived the genus Hemionitis to include a number of cheilanthoid ferns, including some in Myriopteris—a revision accepted by POWO. Incidentally, the wonky species name "engywookii" derives from the name of the gnome, a scientist, in Michael Ende's 1979 novel Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story).