| Species |
Rhizome Indument |
Blade Height To |
Blade Form |
Sporangia |
Dimensionality |
Phenology |
Habitat |
Distribution |
|---|
| cambricum |
scales lanceolate, red-brown, to 16 mm |
30 cm |
small fronds triangular, larger ones broadly oval |
early green, later yellow; paraphyses present |
lowest pinnae sharply inflexed above the plane of the blade |
emerges August-September |
on calcareous rock, mortared walls, sometimes epiphytic on oaks, often coastal |
westernmost and southern Europe, northern Africa, east to Lebanon |
| interjectum |
scales lanceolate, abruptly narrowed above a dilated base, to 11 mm |
50 cm |
narrowly oval, truncated base, arching |
early green, later yellow, then rusty brown; paraphyses absent |
lower pinnae, particularly the lowest pair, bend above the plane of the blade (less so than with P. cambricum) |
fronds emerge in June-July, develop over a four week period |
neutral to basic rocks, walls, well-drained sites |
Portugal to Scotland, east to central Europe |
| vulgare |
scales lanceolate, pale brown, less than 5 mm long |
25 cm |
lanceolate to linear, parallel sides in the lower half, truncated base |
early green, later yellow, then rusty brown; paraphyses absent |
lowest pinnae pair only slightly bending forward, down; pinnae rolling up into the rachis (above the plane) when desiccated |
fronds emerge in early May, develop over a four week period |
acidic, well-drained locations, on rocks, logs, hillsides |
central and northern Europe, less common southern Europe, eastern Asia |
Characters listed were chosen for their value in distinguishing between species.
Reports of errors and omissions appreciated: toms AT hardyfernlibrary.com (please replace the AT with @)