Tags: Fern.
Astrolepis cochisensis is a species of fern known by the common name Cochise scaly cloak fern. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it occupies mainly desert habitat often on calcareous soils. The fern grows from a short rhizome. Its leaves are less than 10 centimeters long and are made up of several multilobed rounded leaflets. The leaflets are coated in star-shaped scales on the upper surface and hairy lance-shaped scales beneath.