Winter Ferns

Wall Rue a special find

The last fern featured in our news this year is a special find. The small, delicate Wall Rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) is an uncommon fern for our area, growing in the crevices of calcareous talus slopes and pretty inaccessible rock cliff habitat. It is considered an evergreen, like its relatives Ebony Spleenwort, Maidenhair Spleenwort and Walking Fern. It has been documented present in Franklin, Berkshire and Hampden counties in Massachusetts.

Most of the plants we saw were small, as in this photo. If you think you may have seen this fern on one of your plant hikes, let us know, we would love to see more!

Photo taken by Randy Stone, December 2020.