Perennial fern of the Pteridaceae family, this species is native to the eastern part of North America, where it is distributed from the Appalachians to the center of the continent, from Massachusetts to Texas. It occupies the crevices of dry rocks, sunny rocky outcrops, and well-exposed rocky slopes, on acidic to neutral substrates, generally at low and medium altitudes.
It forms small upright and persistent clumps, reaching 15 to 35 centimeters in height. The fronds are bipinnate to tripinnate, with a lanceolate outline, borne by dark reddish-brown petioles, rigid and shiny. The underside of the pinnules is densely covered with long woolly hairs, reddish to whitish, a characteristic that gives the species its epithet lanosa and constitutes its most immediately recognizable trait. This abundant hairiness plays a functional role in limiting transpiration during periods of drought.
The foliage, medium green on the upper side and sharply contrasted with the hairy underside, remains in place for much of the year in protected locations, giving the plant a persistent interest beyond the active growing season.
In its natural habitat, sporulation occurs in summer, from June to August. There is no flowering in the strict sense, as this plant is a fern.
In cultivation, it requires impeccable drainage, a dry to fresh mineral substrate, slightly acidic, and a sunny to semi-shaded exposure. It withstands summer drought well and is suitable for walls, rock crevices, and naturalistic rock gardens.