Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta (Filicophyta)
Class: Pteridopsida (Filicopsida)
Subclass: Filicinae
Order: Aspleniales
Family: Aspleniaceae
Genus: Asplenium

Asplenium pinnatifidum

Common name: pinnatifid spleenwort

(Drawing from How to Know the Ferns by Frances Parsons)

The pinnatifid spleenwort is the most common of the acid-rock spleenworts, and is found in a wide variety of locations, but is still not common. Typically, it will be found in small pockets of hard, well-weathered sandstone where it is not too moist.

This fern arose as a hybrid between the walking fern, A. rhizophyllum, and the mountain spleenwort, A. montanum. The frond has the general long-triangular outline of the walking fern, but is cut into long-triangular lobes of irregular shape and length.

This is a difficult fern to grow in the garden.

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This page was last revised on 11-20-1997.