A single oval leaf and a thin spore spike thought to resemble a snake's forked tongue
Adder's-tongue fern.
Nature · Ferns, grasses & other plants
Adder's-tongue fern
Native · above ground June–August · old meadows and dune slacks
Ophioglossum vulgatum — Ophioglossaceae
Adder's-tongue is a small, odd fern of old grassland: a single bright green, oval, upright leaf with a narrow spore-bearing spike sticking out of it like a snake's tongue. It spends most of the year underground as a rhizome and appears only from June to August, so it is easily overlooked, but it is a good indicator of ancient, unimproved meadows. It looks nothing like a typical fern.
How to spot them
- ▸One (rarely two) plain, oval, bright green, untoothed leaf, with a single spore spike rising from it
- ▸The narrow spike carries two rows of spore capsules and is held above the leaf like a tongue
- ▸Above ground only in summer, from June to August, hidden in grass
- ▸Grows in old, unimproved meadows, dune slacks, damp pasture and woodland rides
- ▸Look-alike: lesser adder's-tongue and moonwort are smaller relatives; plants with spikes such as plantains or lords-and-ladies are unrelated and flower
How to know it
A tiny fern that is above ground only from June to August, otherwise a hidden rhizome in old grassland
Adder's-tongue fern.
An indicator species of ancient, unimproved meadows, growing alongside common spotted-orchid and devil's-bit scabious
Adder's-tongue fern — the Wildlife Trusts.
Its plain, oval, unlobed leaf is quite unlike the frond of bracken or male fern, yet it is a fern with a separate upright spore spike
Adder's-tongue fern.
Its Latin genus name is Greek for 'snake tongue'
Adder's-tongue fern — Ophioglossum, from ophis and glossa.
Quick-fire facts
- •The Wildlife Trusts describe a bright green, oval, upright frond with a tall spore-bearing spike; mostly one frond, sometimes a pair
- •Named because the spore spike is thought to resemble a snake's tongue; Ophioglossum is Greek for 'snake tongue'
- •Visible only from June to August, spending the rest of the year underground
- •Localised in distribution, mainly southern England
- •A good indicator of ancient meadows, found with common spotted-orchid, quaking-grass and devil's-bit scabious
- •The genus Ophioglossum is famed for extraordinarily high chromosome numbers; the plant record of about 1,260 belongs to a tropical species, not this British one
Drill it — 6 cards
1 / 6new card
Sources
- The Wildlife Trusts — Adder's-tongue fern