Hart's-tongue Fern

Description:

The plants are unusual in being ferns with simple, undivided fronds. . The tongue-shaped leaves have given rise to the common name "Hart's tongue fern"; hart is an old word for deer. The sori pattern is reminiscent of a centipede's legs, and scolopendrium is Latin for "centipede". The leaves are 10–60 cm long and 3–6 cm broad, with sori arranged in rows perpendicular to the rachis. The plants grow on neutral and lime-rich substrates, including moist soil and damp crevices in old walls, most commonly in shaded situations but occasionally in full sun; plants in full sun are usually stunted and yellowish in colour, while those in full shade are dark green and luxuriant

Habitat:

Northern hemisphere - a common species in Europe, but in North America occurs as rare, widely scattered populations that have been given varietal status, A. scolopendrium var. americanum.

Notes:

"Hart" is an old word for "deer" - the shape of the leaves lead to that name.