Category: Fern of the Week

Fern of the Week: Beech Fern

For our next plant profile, we’ll take a closer look at one of my favourite ferns – the delicate and beautiful Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis. This is a rather uncommon species in the North East but one which I have been encountering more frequently thanks to my ongoing Big Fern Challenge. Now seemed like a good time for a closer look.

Beech Fern

Phegopteris connectilis

Beech Fern is not a species many of us will encounter regularly – unless you’re lucky enough to live in parts of Scotland or perhaps Wales.

This delicate and attractive fern tends to grow in special habitats, including ancient woodlands dominated by Sessile Oak and on shaded, humid gully sides where base-rich water seeps through. Locally, I have found it in both habitats, though the greatest concentrations are nestled among boulder scree in upland areas or tucked away in permanently damp, humid spots around waterfalls and burns. Beech Fern is known to be intolerant of grazing and is therefore often found in places out of reach of passing sheep or deer.

Surprisingly, it is seldom found under Beech trees as it avoids overly acidic substrates, favouring instead neutral to mildly acidic.

Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis spotted at Hen Hole in the Cheviots

Upon further reading, I discovered that Beech Fern has a rather interesting history. It was first reported by Bobart as far back as 1699, who – using typically lengthy Latin – named it Filix minor Britannica pelliculo pallidore alis inferioribus deorsum spectantius. Quite a mouthful, but the name roughly translates to “a small British fern with pale green fronds and downward-pointing pinnae.” Even today, this description remains remarkably accurate!

The name Phegopteris connectilis is a combination of Greek and Latin terms. Phegopteris comes from the Greek words phegos meaning “Beech” and pteris meaning “fern”, describing a fern associated with beech trees. The specific epithet connectilis is Latin and translates “fastened together”.

Although uncommon in lowland areas, the distribution of Beech Fern is considered stable by the BSBI, with new sites being discovered on the edges of its Scottish and Welsh populations. While it may have declined slightly in England, it can still be found in most of its historic haunts.

Unfurling Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis spotted at Hen Hole in the Cheviots

In terms of its associates, Beech Fern commonly grows alongside Oak Fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris in ancient woodland but in the uplands, may often be found alongside Brittle Bladder-fern Cystopteris fragilis on damp ledges, and in scree alongside Mountain Male-fern Dryopteris oreades.

Identification

Phegopteris connectilis is an easy plant to identify. It is a small, rhizomatous species that can form dense, spreading colonies in suitable habitats. Telling it apart from other ferns shouldn’t be a problem if you focus on a few key features.

Firstly, unlike any other British fern, the pinnae are winged – meaning they’re connected to the rachis along their entire length. This is the origin of the specific epithet connectilis.

Secondly, take a close look at the lowest pair of pinnae. These are opposite, backward-facing, and angled at about 90° to each other. They typically stand erect – resembling a pair of rabbit ears!

That’s all there is to it with this one.

Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis at Hareshaw Linn, Northumberland

Distribution

In the North East, Beech Fern is an uncommon species. As the orange dots indicate, it hasn’t been recorded at many of its historic sites since the turn of the millennium.

Nevertheless, the species persists in several locations, with notable clusters in the Kielder and Cheviot areas of Northumberland, as well as in the North Pennines of County Durham. It can also be found along watercourses and in remnants of ancient woodland along the River Tyne, from Haltwhistle to Hexham.

Given the lack of recent records, it seems reasonable to conclude that Beech Fern has been lost from most lowland areas of the region.

Phegopteris connectilis in the The ferns of Great Britain and Ireland (Plate IV) 

Fern of the Week: Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort

For our first plant profile, we’ll cover an unobtrusive yet beautiful little fern found in only a select few corners of North East England: Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort.

This is an extremely rare plant that thanks to an unexpected trip to Hareshaw Linn in Northumberland, I recently had the chance to see for the first time.

Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort

Asplenium trichomanes subsp. pachyrachis

Many of us are familiar with with Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes), the delicate, trailing fern adorning garden walls and other structures throughout our towns and cities. What you may not know, however, is that the UK is home to several subspecies of this lovely little fern, one of which is the Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes subsp. pachyrachis).

This unassuming fern grows on calcareous rocks such as limestone in shaded, humid settings. Often under rock overhangs, on steep valley sides or beside waterfalls, such as at Hareshaw Linn. Unlike it’s more familiar cousins, it is seldom found on mortared walls and is unlikely to crop up in towns.

A genuinely rare subspecies in the UK, Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort is found at only a scattering of sites. A notable concentration can be found in south Wales, with a further cluster of records near Chester. Elsewhere, it is found sporadically in small populations at isolated sites.

This fern is widespread in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain, France and Italy, so may well be under-recorded in the UK.

The specific epithet trichomanes refers to a Greek word for fern

Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort, spotted at Hareshaw Linn in Northumberland

Identification

Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort is a small, tufted plant that often appears to grow flat against the surface of rock. Its narrow, green fronds are usually 5-30mm long and contain at their centre a dark, glossy mid-rib – a useful feature for seperating this group from Green Spleenwort (Asplenium viride). The pinnae or leaflets usually number in at 20-30 pairs and are arranged oppositely along the frond. All of this, however, appeals to other Maidenhair Spleenworts too, so what sets this subspecies apart?

The main difference between Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort and other subspecies is the margin of pinnae. As its name suggests, those of this fern are distinctly lobed, almost scalloped. In contrast, those of other subspecies may be asymmetrical or rectangular but only slightly toothed. It may only be an anecdotal observation, but I think the lobes give the leaflets of this fern an arrow-like shape…

Given it’s similarities to other Maidenhair Spleenworts, it is little wonder this fern is poorly recorded. Sure, it may be rare, but it must be present unnoticed at further sites. Will you find it?

Distribution

In the North East, Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort is restricted to just a few locations: one in South Northumberland (VC67) and three in County Durham (VC66).

In Northumberland, the most notable colony is found at Hareshaw Linn SSSI, where the species thrives on the humid rock faces surrounding the site’s waterfall. In County Durham, it has been recorded at two sites near Barnard Castle and on crags along the River Tees near Bowlees.

A close-up of the lobed leaflets