Terrestrial fern ID please

[Sarpijk]

Hi all, there a shaded part on my street and on a cliff there are three ferns nested on the brittle stone. I believe I have previously collected the same fern from another place in my city again growing on rock. I kept it in my paludarium but eventually I lost it and came to believe that it doesn't like constant moisture on its leaves.

Is it some kind of Asplenium?

 

[zozo]

Yup! That looks very much like an Asplenium ruta-muraria. 🙂

They are very picky and sensitive... I bought them a few years ago and taking them from the habit they are used to and replacing them is not welcome. Non survived...

 

[Sarpijk]

Thanks Zozo , I found a pic of the fern I mentioned in my first post. Do you think it is the same species? I am tempted to collect one from the cliff and try it again but this time I won't allow it to be constantly wet.

 

[zozo]

I'm not sure properly identifying ferns can sometimes be tricky, but it looks like Asplenium sp. And the ones growing to cliffs and walls do not like to be wet all the time in my experience. Mature ferns in general don't like to be moved from their preferred spot without suffering at least some damage.

 

[Sarpijk]

Hi all , resurrecting this topic because lately I see a lot of gametophytes in the cliff just under the ferns..

As I have mentioned I was tempted yo remove one of the ferns from the rock but I hesitated because there only three and only on that little part of the cliff.

Will all these gametophytes grow into new ferns?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

but it looks like Asplenium sp.

It does, and probably Asplenium trichomanes (Maiden-hair Spleenwort). It is a cosmopolitan species <"Observations">

Will all these gametophytes grow into new ferns?

Potentially, although they may be thalloid liverworts, rather than fern prothallii, they look really similar. You could try a few of those and see if they grow out. They need to be constantly moist while they are prothallii.

from the rock but I hesitated because there only three and only on that little part of the cliff.

Mature ferns in general don't like to be moved from their preferred spot without suffering at least some damage.

I definitely wouldn't take a plant (sporophyte), as Marcel says they don't tend to re-establish very well, as well as the ethical issues.

cheers Darrel