Ferns and Lycophytes

Helen Witham wrote the Ferns of San Diego County, published in 1972 by the San Diego Natural History Museum (SDNHM). Her book has been an invaluable reference source in identifying the local ferns. Ms. Witham (subsequently Helen Chamlee) was the associate curator of the Botany Department and found of the Canyoneers, originally Florida Canyoneers, a group of volunteers trained by the SDNHM's Education Department and curators to lead walks in the local San Diego canyons for the public and local school groups.

Those who trained as Canyoneers in the early 1980s were fortunate to go on walks with Ms. Chamlee when she so generously shared her knowledge about the local flora, fauna, and Native American use of our native species. The Canyoneers have relied extensively on her book, as have many local residents who continue to explore our natural areas on their own. 

Our current publication is an attempt to build upon the information in Witham Chamlee's Ferns of San Diego County and to include the equisetophytes and lycophytes along with new taxa, name changes, and phylogenetic advances since 1972.