Winter Ferns 2024-2025

Ebony Spleenwort

This is a follow-up to last week's article on Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) and how to differentiate it from Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron). Here is a recent photo of Ebony Spleenwort, showing the narrow fertile fronds and broader sterile fronds. This Ebony Spleenwort is more robust than the ones we usually see, so don't expect them all to be this large, but it is good for this example.

The fertile fronds are semi-evergreen, and usually stand upright during the growing season, but often flop down and fade in winter. The sterile fronds, which are usually spreading flat and downward, are evergreen. You can see the narrow elongated shape of the pinnae, and the many pairs of sori on the back, of the fertile fronds.

The Maidenhair Spleenworts are generally found growing on moist mossy rock faces, sometimes mixing with MacKay's Fragile Ferns. Ebony Spleenwort can be found growing on dry rock faces, on the ground in sandy old fields & clearings, and with the mortar in old stone walls. They are growing in this spot near Evergreen Wood Ferns and Christmas Ferns.

2/9/25

Posted: to PV Fern News on Sun, Feb 9, 2025
Updated: Sun, Feb 9, 2025