Aspidotis densa is a species of fern in the Cheilanthoid subfamily, known by the common name Indian's dream or Serpentine fern or dense lace fern. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to California and east to the Rocky Mountains in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming; there is a disjunct population on serpentine soils in Quebec.
Aspidotis densa
Aspidotis densa at Icicle Creek Canyon, Wenatchee Mountains Washington
Sterile fronds
Sori with false indusium
Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially antigorite, lizardite, and chrysotile or white asbestos, all of which are commonly found in ultramafic rocks. The term "serpentine" is commonly used to refer to both the soil type and the mineral group which forms its parent materials.
Solidago multiradiata, Erigeron aureus, and Adiantum aleuticum in rocky serpentine soil
Serpentine outcrop high in the Siskiyou Wilderness of northwest California—here Jeffrey pine dominates the landscape.
Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area in Maryland
Unlike most ecosystems, in serpentine barrens, there is less plant growth closer to a stream, due to toxic minerals in the water.