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Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum
Asplenium scolopendrium L. var. americanum (Fernald) Kartesz & Gandhi
American Hart's-tongue Fern
Aspleniaceae (Spleenwort Family)
Synonym(s): Phyllitis japonica ssp. americana, Phyllitis scolopendrium var. americana
USDA Symbol: ASSCA
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
In North America at the present time, Asplenium scolopendrium is an endangered species everywhere outside of Ontario, where it is found along the Niagara Escarpment growing in crevasses and north facing slopes (Ferns of Grey and Bruce Counties). Variety americanum occurs in scattered populations in deep shade and rocky, calcareous soil in Ontario, Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Alabama, and Nuevo Leon. The species proper ranges across western Eurasia, where it is common, and adds Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Hispaniola to the aforementioned locales. Listed as a species of special concern by Canada's Species at Risk Act and as threatened by the United States government and by the state of New York. Tennessee and Michigan classify it as endangered.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb , Fern
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Leaf Margin: Entire
Leaf Apex: Acuminate
Leaf Base: Cordate
Leaf Texture: Papery
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Not ApplicableBloom Notes: Not a flowering plant. Reproduces by spores.
Distribution
USA: AL , MD , MI , NY , TNCanada: ON
Native Distribution: Scattered spottily from southern Ontario to New York, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, and Nuevo Leon.
Native Habitat: Forest,Riparian,Rocky Bluff, in deep shade and calcareous soil.
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , ShadeSoil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Alkaline (pH>7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Threatened & Endangered Status
USFWS Species Profile: S00OStatus:Bibliography
Bibref 1231 - Guide To the Ferns of Grey and Bruce Counties, Ontario (1999) Owen Sound Field NaturalistsSearch More Titles in Bibliography
Web Reference
Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Webref 12 - Great Lakes Ecological Assessment: Threatened, Endangered, or Sensitive Species (2012) USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Additional resources
USDA: Find Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum
Metadata
Record Modified: 2015-08-12Research By: TWC Staff