''Anogramma leptophylla'', sometimes called Jersey fern, is a species of

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

in the family Pteridaceae. It is found worldwide in temperate and subtropical regions. A rarity in the Pteridophyta, it is a fern whose sporophyte tends to have an annual life cycle. The

gametophyte A gametophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has on ...

s of this species have the ability to become dormant and wait as much as two and a half years until conditions are appropriate for the

sporophyte A sporophyte () is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid gametophyte phase. Life cycle The sporophyte develops from the zygote pr ...

stage of the life-cycle.

Description

''Anogramma leptophylla'' is a small annual fern, seldom exceeding in height. It has delicate, two-pinnate fronds, only the inner ones being fertile and bearing linear spore cases on the undersides of the nearly circular leaflets, occupying most of their surface area. The leaf margins are not curled.

Distribution and habitat

''Anogramma leptophylla'' has an oceanic temperate distribution. It is found in the Mediterranean area (southern France, Italy) and is widespread in North America. The only place in the British Isles in which it occurs is the island of

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. It grows on walls and banks, especially when there is underlying

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

rock. It prefers to grow on bare soil in moist but well-drained locations as it is not very competitive.

Ecology

Other plants growing in the same habitats include the pellitory-of-the-wall ''

Parietaria lusitanica ''Parietaria lusitanica'' is a species of plant in the family Urticaceae The Urticaceae are a family, the nettle family, of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus ''Urtica''. The Urticaceae include a number of well-known and ...

'' and the Mediterranean clubmoss (''Selaginella denticulata'') in northern Italy, and the clubmoss, the liverwort ''

Targionia hypophylla ''Targionia'' may refer to a genus of: * Targionia (plant) ''Targionia'' is a genus of liverworts in the order Marchantiales. It the only genus in the family Targioniaceae within that order. This genus has worldwide distribution in areas ...

'' and the mosses '' Rhynchostegiella tenella'' and ''

Timmiella anomala ''Timmiella'' is a genus of mosses belonging to the family Timmiellaceae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution. It was in the family ''Pottiaceae'' but due to molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2014, it was placed in ''Timmiellaceae'' ...

'' in Elba. These plants are all heat-loving and are able to survive the winter by growing in locations where warm water seeps out of crevices, giving a tropical

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

References

* Molnár, C. et al. 2008., Remote, inland occurrence of the oceanic ''Anogramma leptophylla'' (L.) Link (Pteridaceae: Taenitidoideae) in Hungary, ''Amer. Fern J.'', 98(3): 128 - 138. {{Taxonbar, from=Q946400 Pteridaceae Flora of the Channel Islands Flora of Southwestern Europe Flora of Southeastern Europe Flora of Lebanon Flora of Australia Plants described in 1753