Tag: Beech Fern

Year of Ferns: Scarcities & Surprises

Motivated by last year’s fern forays and spurred on by my new membership of the British Pteridological Society, I have decided to try something different this year: a personal challenge to see as many of Britain’s fern species as possible in a single year. The idea being that, by seeking out our ferns, I’ll learn more about them, their habitats, and the subtleties involved in identifying them. This blog will be part #7.

A Few Scarce Ferns – 26 April

When it comes to our rarer ferns, it’s often best not to share precise locations. I’ll usually take cues from what trusted organisations and recorders have made public. Still, even then, the vulnerability of some populations makes it sensible to err on the side of caution. So, no grid references or site names this time, but suffice it to say that with spring getting underway, it felt like the right moment to head out in search of some of our more elusive pteridophytes. Cue a long drive away from Newcastle…

Our first stop was in pursuit of a particular favourite: Moonwort Botrychium lunaria. This curious little plant of calcareous grasslands, spoil heaps and old mine workings has become something of a personal nemesis – frequently eluding targeted searches, only to appear when least expected. On this occasion, however, I had a good idea where to look and despite it being a touch early in the season, was pleased to find the first fronds just beginning to emerge from the tightly grazed turf of an upland fell.

It’s a delightful species, though I’ll admit it, it doesn’t look like much early in the year.

Moonwort Botrychium lunaria

The second target fern was rather more dependable. Holly-fern Polystichum lonchitis is a striking species, its tough, tapering fronds lending it a distinctive, almost architectural quality. It tends to favour the most inaccessible of habitats, occupying cool, well-drained niches at the base of cliffs, on shaded ledges, and among boulder scree. As such, it’s one of those ferns that usually demands a bit of effort to see.

Our plant, it must be said, was looking a little the worse for wear, with just a handful of fresh fronds emerging from a clump of last year’s browned foliage. Still, it very much counted. With any luck, I’ll come across more robust specimens when I make it to Scotland later in the year.

Holly-fern Polystichum lonchitis

Not to be overlooked, the day also brought encounters with two particularly appealing lycophytes: Fir Clubmoss Huperzia selago and Lesser Clubmoss Selaginella selaginoides. Alongside these were a suite of more familiar upland ferns, rounding off a thoroughly satisfying trip.

Fir Clubmoss Huperzia selago
Lesser Clubmoss Selaginella selaginoides

An Unusual Escape – 27 April

Fast forward to Sunday and, rather unexpectedly, a guided walk with a local Friends group turned up another addition to the fern list. And an unlikely one at that. The rather impressive specimen pictured below proved to be Western Sword-fern Polystichum munitum, a North American species recorded from only a handful of sites nationally, according to the BSBI.

To encounter it in Holywell Dene, North Tyneside, was something of a surprise, and I’ll admit it took a bit of working through before the penny dropped. It is most likely a garden escape, but either way, it appears to represent the first known occurrence for South Northumberland.

Western Sword-fern Polystichum munitum

Woodland Specialists – 5 May

Whilst I’ve covered that particular trip in more detail elsewhere, a Bank Holiday wander at Cupola Banks above the River Allen yielded the next two ferns for the year. Oak Fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris and Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis are, in truth, among my favourites. While not especially rare in a national context, they are decidedly scarce in my part of the world.

Both species favour rugged, humid upland woodland that has remained largely undisturbed, often growing in spots that seem either inaccessible or of little interest to grazing animals. Delicate and rather pretty, they are among our most elegant ferns, and I never tire of seeing them.

Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis
Oak Fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris
Freshly unfurled Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis

Running Total

Seeing as I rarely carry a notebook, we’ll log our running total for the year here…

#1 Wall-rueAsplenium ruta-murariaTyneside
#2 Maidenhair SpleenwortAsplenium trichomanes subsp. quadrivalensTyneside
#3 Hart’s-tongueAsplenium scolopendriumTyneside
#4 Black SpleenwortAsplenium adiantum-nigrumTyneside
#5 Broad Buckler-fernDryopteris dilatataTyneside
#6 Male-fernDryopteris filix-masTyneside
#7 Soft Shield-fernPolystichum setiferumTyneside
#8 Japanese Lace FernPolystichum polyblepharumTyneside
#9 Hard Shield-fernPolystichum aculeatumTyneside
#10 Hard FernBlechnum spicantTyneside
#11 Western Scaly Male-fernDryopteris affinis subsp. affinisTyneside
#12 Borrer’s Scaly Male-fernDryopteris borreriTyneside
#13 Lady Clermont’s SpleenwortAsplenium x clermontiaeNorthumberland
#14 RustybackAsplenium ceterachNorthumberland
#15 N/ADryopteris borreri morph. robustaCounty Durham
#16 N/ADryopteris borreri forma foliosumCounty Durham
#17 Greater Scaly Male-fernDryopteris affinis subsp. paleaceolobataTyneside
#18 Tunbridge Filmy-fernHymenophyllum tunbrigenseNorthumberland
#19 Lady-fernAthyrium filix-feminaTyneside
#20 Adder’s-tongueOphioglossum vulgatumTyneside
#21 Delicate Maidenhair SpleenwortAsplenium trichomanes subsp. trichomanesNorth Yorkshire
#22 Narrow Male-fernDryopteris cambrensisNorth Yorkshire
#23 Green SpleenwortAsplenium virideNorth Yorkshire
#24 Parsley FernCryptogramma crispaNorth Yorkshire
#25 MoonwortBotrychium lunariaCounty Durham
#26 Holly FernPolystichum lonchitisN/A
#27 Oblong WoodsiaWoodsia ilvensisN/A
#28 Western Sword-fernPolystichum munitumNorthumberland
#29 Oak FernGymnocarpium dryopterisNorthumberland
#30 Beech FernPhegopteris connectilisNorthumberland

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)