Pteridaceae
Purple cliffbrake
Pellaea atropurpurea
- Family
- Pteridaceae
- Genus
- Pellaea
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Common names
By language (2)
- Chinese
- 紫岩旱蕨
- English
- Purple cliffbrake
Synonyms
- Allosorus atropurpureus Kuntze
- Asplenium atropurpureum Bernh.
- Cassebeera atropurpurea (L.) Farw.
- Cassebeera atropurpurea var. minima Farw.
- Hemionitis atropurpurea (L.) Christenh.
- Notholaena atropurpurea Keyserl.
- Pellaea atropurpurea f. bifida Hahne
- Pellaea atropurpurea f. furcata Hahne
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. cristata Trel.
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. latifolia Pickett
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. minima Eggert ex Farw.
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. mucronata (Fée) E.Fourn.
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. nana (Richardson ex Franklin) Hook.
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. punctata Gilbert
- Pellaea atropurpurea var. venosa Gilbert
- Pellaea mucronata Fée
- Pellaea spiculata Fée
- Platyloma atropurpureum J.Sm.
- Pteris atropurpurea L.
- Pteris spiculata Schkuhr
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native
Photos
Photo: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Erutuon, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Lynn Harper, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Cecelia Alexander, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jared Shorma, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Turner Brockman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Gus, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Pellaea
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- Bridges' cliffbrakePellaea bridgesiiPteridaceae
- Pellaea calidirupiumPteridaceae
- Smooth cliffbrakePellaea glabellaPteridaceae
- Pellaea nanaPteridaceae
- Spiny cliffbrakePellaea truncataPteridaceae
- Coffee cliffbrakePellaea andromedifoliaPteridaceae
- Sierra cliffbrakePellaea brachypteraPteridaceae
- Birdfoot cliffbrakePellaea mucronataPteridaceae
- Pellaea paradoxaPteridaceae
- Trans-Pecos cliffbrakePellaea ternifoliaPteridaceae
- Ovateleaf cliffbrakePellaea ovataPteridaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.