Hart’s-tongue Fern

Common Name: Hart’s-tongue Fern

Latin Name: Phyllitis scolopendrium

Family: Aspleniaceae (Spleenwort family)

The hart’s-tongue fern is unusual because unlike most British ferns it has simple rather than pinnate leaves. It is a member of the spleenwort family. The name spleenwort refers to the use of the plants to treat conditions affecting the spleen and liver.

The hart’s-tongue fern is common throughout the British Isles except for northern Scotland where its distribution is more scattered. It can be found in shady moist rocky places, banks, walls and woods.

In the Yorkshire Dales National Park the ferns make an important contribution to the local flora. Hart’s-tongue fern is shade-tolerant and prefers lime-rich soils and can be found in dark and damp environments including the grykes of limestone pavements and in woodlands such as upland mixed ashwoods.