Join / Renew / Gift Donate Shop Member Portal Language

Search
npsot_bluebonnet_full_color

Native Plant Society of Texas

Purple Cliffbrake Fern

Pellaea atropurpurea

Other common name(s):

Purple-stem Cliffbrake Fern

Family:

Pteridaceae (Maidenhair Fern Family)

Photo Credit: Claire Sorenson

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

This map uses data from the US EPA. EPA  servers have been offline frequently so maps may not display. We are working on a solution.

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, High Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Llano Estacado, Rolling Sand Plains
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Fern

Height

.75
to
1
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Gravelly, Rocky, Limestone, Calcareous, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

No Bloom

Bloom Season

No Bloom

Seasonal Interest

Nesting Material

Wildlife Benefit

Birds

Maintenance

One of the most widely distributed ferns in Texas. Drought tolerant, don’t over water, allow to dry out between waterings. Like many other members of the Pteridaceae, it is a rock plant, needing a calcareous substrate. Prune in early to late spring to remove damaged fronds and encourage new growth. Native habitat: rocky slopes and woods, cliffs. Common in the wild but not commercially. Grown and sold by some NPSOT chapters. Propagation: spores, clump division, apogamy (see description below).

Comments

Stems are dark purple. Leaves have a blue-gray tinge. Fertile fronds are longer and more heavily divided. The sterile fronds ones are shorter, less divided, and with relatively wider ultimate segments. Apogamy, common in this fern family, is where new sporophyte plants develop without sexual reproduction, basically skipping the gametophyte stage. This adaptation, allows them to reproduce without water, helping ferns that live in dry environments, since sperm require water to swim to eggs for fertilization. The fern provides shelter and shade for insects and spiders that live in rocky habitats.

References

Learn about how to propagate Texas native plants.

Material Treatment Method Collection References
Spores No Treatment Place them on a tray lined with moist peat moss. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and keep it in a warm, well-lit location. After a few weeks, you should see tiny green plants emerging from the spores. Once they are large enough to handle, you can carefully separate them and plant them in small pots filled with a well-draining soil mix. Keep them moist and in a warm, bright location, and they should grow into healthy plants over time. Spores are produced June–September on fertile leaves. Fertile (spore-bearing) leaflets are longer and thinner than the sterile ones, and spores are borne in a continuous band along the outer margin of the underside of the leaflets, protected by the recurved edge of the leaflet (the edge of the leaflet curls around the underside edge of the leaflet). To propagate this plant, you will need to wait until the spores are mature and ripe. This usually occurs in late summer or early fall. Once you see the spores on the undersides of the fronds, you can carefully collect them. 1) https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/purple-cliff-brake#:~:text=Ferns%20have%20a%20two%2Dpart,the%20typical%20fern%20life%20cycle.
Bud Division Gently dig around the plant's base to expose the roots. Carefully separate the rootball into smaller sections, ensuring each section has healthy fronds and its own set of roots. Plant these divisions into pots or directly into the ground. Choose a mature Pellaea atropurpurea plant. During early spring or early fall. https://plantiary.com/plant/pellaea-atropurpurea_15156.html#:~:text=Propagation%3A%20You%20can%20propagate%20Pellaea,the%20fronds%20with%20spore%20cases.

About the Region

Fall Symposium 2025 Logo - Teach for the Future

Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).

The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason