''Asplenium viride'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of fern known as the green spleenwort because of its green stipes and rachides. This feature easily distinguishes it from the very similar-looking maidenhair spleenwort, ''

Asplenium trichomanes ''Asplenium trichomanes'', the maidenhair spleenwort, is a small fern in the spleenwort genus ''Asplenium''. It is a widespread and common species, occurring almost worldwide in a variety of rocky habitats. It is a variable fern with several sub ...

''.

Taxonomy

Green spleenwort was described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

in his 1753 '' Species Plantarum'', under the name "''Asplenium Trich. ramosum''", with a type locality of "'" (rocks in

Caernarfonshire , HQ= County Hall, Caernarfon , Map= , Image= Flag , Motto= Cadernid Gwynedd (The strength of Gwynedd) , year_start= , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Caerna ...

). Under the rules of the

International Code of Botanical Nomenclature The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...

, phrase names such as "''Asplenium Trichomanes ramosum''" are to be treated as orthographic errors – in this case, for "''Asplenium ramosum''". That name was later rejected in favour of William Hudson's later name ''Asplenium viride'', which had a type locality of "'" (damp rocks in the mountains of Wales,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

and

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

). A global phylogeny of ''Asplenium'' published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades, which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study. ''A. viride'' belongs to the "''A. viride'' subclade" of the "''A. trichomanes'' clade". The ''A. trichomanes'' clade has a worldwide distribution. Members of the clade grow on rocks and usually have once-pinnate leaf blades with slender, chestnut- to dark-brown stalks. The ''A. viride'' subclade, which contains only ''A. viride'' and its allopolyploid descendant '' A. adulterinum'', is exceptional in having green stalks.

Ecology

''A. viride'' is a native species of northern and western North America and northern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. It is a small rock fern, growing on

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

rock. It is a diploid species, with ''n'' = 36, and hybridizes with ''

'' to produce ''Asplenium × adulterinum'', found on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

References

External links

* *
Flora of North America: ''Asplenium viride''
Wild Flowers of the British Isles

Skye Flora
''Asplenium viride''
Flora of Northern Ireland {{Taxonbar, from=Q1552374 viride Ferns of the United States Flora of Canada Flora of the Eastern United States Plants described in 1762 Taxa named by William Hudson (botanist)