Struthiopteris spicant

Struthiopteris spicant

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Aspleniineae
Family: Blechnaceae
Genus: Struthiopteris
Species:
S. spicant
Binomial name
Struthiopteris spicant
(L.) F.W.Weiss
Synonyms[1][2]
Synonyms
  • Acrostichum lineatum
  • Cav.
  • Acrostichum nemorale
  • Lam.
  • Acrostichum spicant
  • (L.) Willd.
  • Asplenium spicant
  • Bernh.
  • Asplenium spicant
  • Ehrh.
  • Blechnum boreale
  • Sw.
  • Blechnum doodioides
  • Hook.
  • Blechnum heterophyllum
  • Opiz
  • Blechnum septentrionale
  • Sailer
  • Blechnum spicant
  • (L.) Roth
  • Homophyllum blechnoides
  • Merino
  • Lomaria borealis
  • Link
  • Lomaria crenata
  • C.Presl
  • Lomaria spicant
  • Desv.
  • Onoclea spicant
  • Hoffm.
  • Osmunda borealis
  • Salisb.
  • Osmunda spicant
  • L.
  • Spicanta borealis
  • C.Presl
  • Struthiopteris doodioides
  • Trevis.
  • Struthiopteris japanensis
  • Trevis.

Struthiopteris spicant, syn. Blechnum spicant, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, known by the common names hard-fern[3] or deer fern. It is native to Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, and western North America.[1][4] Like some other species in the family Blechnaceae, it has two types of leaves. The sterile leaves have flat, wavy-margined leaflets 5 to 8 millimeters wide, while the fertile leaves have much narrower leaflets, each with two thick rows of sori on the underside.[5]

The Latin specific epithet spicant is of uncertain origin, possibly referring to a tufted or spiky habit.[6]

S. spicant is hardy down to −20 °C (−4 °F) and evergreen, growing to 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in).[7] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]

The species was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus as Osmunda spicant. It has been placed in a wide range of genera, including Blechnum (as Blechnum spicant).[1] In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the genus Struthiopteris, in the subfamily Blechnoideae.[9]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference POWO_30079143-2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GaspDittSmitSali16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference usda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference jepson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  7. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  8. ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Blechnum spicant". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference PPGI was invoked but never defined (see the help page).