About

Myriopteris aurea, the golden lip fern or Bonaire lip fern, is a medium-sized fern native to the Americas, a member of the family Pteridaceae. Unlike many members of its genus, which are relatively lacy, its leaf is only dissected into lobed leaflets (pinnae), which are hairy both above and below. One of the cheilanthoid lip ferns, it was classified in the genus Cheilanthes as Cheilanthes bonariensis until 2013, when the genus Myriopteris was again recognized as separate from Cheilanthes. It typically grows on dry, rocky slopes, and ranges from the southwestern United States through Mexico, where it is common and widespread, south and east through Central and South America as far as Chile and Argentina. The common names refer to the color of the hairs on the upper surface of the leaves, and to early collections around Buenos Aires, Latinized as "Bonaire".

How to grow it

Myriopteris aurea can be grown on moist-dry to dry garden soil, supplemented with sand. The soil must be well-drained and it requires high levels of light. The horticulturist George Schneider, writing in 1892, spoke of it as "an old inhabitant of our gardens".

Edward Palmer collected a specimen at the market in Saltillo in 1898, where he reported that a decoction was prepared from it and drunk to treat "pain in the stomach" and "coughs".

Where it grows

Myriopteris aurea grows throughout Mexico except for Tabasco and the Yucatan Peninsula, where it is the most widespread and abundant fern in the country. The range extends slightly north into the United States, into Arizona, New Mexico, and Trans-Pecos Texas.

Other Myriopteris plants

Lip Fern · Texas Lipfern · Alabama Lipfern · Myriopteris allosuroides · Myriopteris chipinquensis · Myriopteris cinnamomea · Cleveland's Lipfern · Cooper's Lip Fern · Myriopteris covillei · Myriopteris cucullans · Fendler's Lip Fern · Myriopteris fimbriata