Etymology Limbo = marginal, spermum = seed; marginal seed/sori; the first name was Polypodium limbospermum assigned in 1789 when sori were not regarded so distinctly from seeds.

Description Rhizome: erect, branching, triangular scales.
Frond: 120 cm high by 20 cm wide, deciduous, monomorphic or somewhat dimorphic, blade/stipe ratio: 5:1.
Stipe: grooved above (not continuous) or not, scales thin, silvery early, later pale buff, continuing onto the rachis, vascular bundles: 2, crescent-shaped.
Blade: 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, ovate, tapering at the base to widely-spaced, very short pinnae, soft, yellow-green early, pale green later, transparent needlelike hairs on the costae, yellow glands on the lower surface.
Pinnae: 30 to 40 pair, pinnatifid above, lowest ones losing this character; costae grooved above, grooves discontinuous from rachis to costae; margins entire to shallowly crenate, fertile segments inrolled; veins free.
Sori: round, touching at maturity, more plentiful on the upper portion of the frond, near the margins, indusium: absent (to the eye), sporangia: pale green early, later black, glossy, maturity: mid to late summer.

Culture Habitat: moist, acidic, shady woods, banks. Distribution: widely scattered in Europe, from the Azores to Norway to Turkey. Hardy to -25°C, USDA Zone 5.

Distinctive Characteristics lemon scent when the glands on the lower surface are brushed; inrolled fertile margins

Synonyms
Polypodium limbospermum All.
Dryopteris montana O. Kuntze
Thelypteris limbosperma (Allioni) H.P. Fuchs
Thelypteris oreopteris (Ehrh.) Slosson
Dryopteris oreopteris (Ehrh.) Maxon
Aspidium montanum Aschers.
Lastrea oreopteris Bory