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Hart’s-tongue Fern

Asplenium scolopendrium

Months

Sep-Nov

Season

Autumn

Colour

Green

Habitat

Status

Least Concern

This evergreen plant has long, tongue shaped leaves with a pointy end.

Distribution

Widespread across Britain, except in the far north.

Habitat

Can be found in sheltered moist habitats such as woods, on hedge banks, in walls and in ditches.

Did you know?

The underside of the leaves have little marks reminiscent of centipedes legs, leading to the species name ‘scolopendrium’ (the Latin for centipede!)
A hart was an old name for a deer, so the plant was so-named as it specifically looks like a deer’s tongue.

Blushing Waxcap

Close up of a Wood Blewit mushroom. You can see the blue purple cap against the leaves of the forest floor in the background.

Wood Blewit

A greater butterfly orchid in a meadow

Greater Butterfly-orchid