North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Asplenium rhizophyllum

Asplenium rhizophyllum L.

walking fern

Synonym(s): Camptosorus rhizophyllus

Image ID: 12855
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: ASRH2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Asplenium rhizophyllum
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2016-02-19

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: ASPLE
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Asplenium
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Spleenwort
GENUS SUMMARY: Asplenium is a large, nearly cosmopolitan genus of more than 720 species, with centers of diversity in the Appalachians, Central America mountains, Andes, and Himalayas.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Several of the more frequently encountered sterile hybrids are included in the key and treated fully below. Others may be recognized by intermediate morphology and usual co-occurrence with both parents.
GENUS REFERENCES: Wagner, Moran, & Werth in FNA (1993b); Lin & Viane in FoC (2013)=FoC; Moran (1982); Taylor, Mohlenbrock, & Burton (1976)=Z; Murakami et al. (1999); Kramer & Viane in Kramer & Green (1990).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASPLEN
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Aspleniaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Frank 1877
FAMILY COMMON: Spleenwort Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of a 2 genera and more than 720 species, of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Murakami et al. (1999) conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Aspleniaceae, which confirmed that Camptosorus should be included in Asplenium, but suggested that Phyllitis is better separated from Asplenium. A later and more comprehensive study shows Phyllitis and Camptosorus to be deeply embedded in Asplenium (Schneider et al. 2004a), a conclusion followed here.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Kramer & Viane in Kramer & Green (1990); Schneider et al. (2004a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb, Fern

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION: Evergreen

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: May-Oct

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
											x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
983	1985-0677			View
3298	1990-0159			View
3678	1991-0373			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1870	983	73	NCBG staff	1985-06-05	View
5477	3298	73	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5981	3678	73	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: ASRH2
USDA Common Name: Walking Fern
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (ON, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Asplenium rhizophyllum
COMMON NAME: Walking Fern
SYNONYMY: [= Ar, C, FNA, Il, K, Pa, RAB, Tn, Va, W; = Camptosorus rhizophyllus (Linnaeus) Link - F, G, S, WV]
PHENOLOGY: May-Oct.
HABITAT: Moist outcrops of calcareous sedimentary, calcareous metamorphic, or mafic metamorphic rocks, such as limestone, dolostone, calcareous siltstone, amphibolite, mostly at low to moderate elevations, rarely to 1500 m or higher.
COMMENTS: S. QC, ON and se. MN south to c. GA, AL, MS, AR, OK, and IA. This species, sometimes placed in the genus Camptosorus because of its strikingly different morphology from (most) other Asplenium, is one of the diploid progenitors of the reticulately evolved Appalachian Asplenium complex. It is a parent of A. pinnatifidum and A. ×ebenoides (as well as other sterile hybrids), both of which have inherited a limited ability to produce plantlets at the attenuate leaf-tip. It is closely related to Asplenium sibiricum of e. Asia.
RANGE MAP: Asplenium rhizophyllum.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Aspleniaceae Frank 1877 (Spleenwort Family)
SUMMARY: A family of a 2 genera and more than 720 species, of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Murakami et al. (1999) conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Aspleniaceae, which confirmed that Camptosorus should be included in Asplenium, but suggested that Phyllitis is better separated from Asplenium. A later and more comprehensive study shows Phyllitis and Camptosorus to be deeply embedded in Asplenium (Schneider et al. 2004a), a conclusion followed here.
REFERENCE: Kramer & Viane in Kramer & Green (1990); Schneider et al. (2004a).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Asplenium L. (Spleenwort)
SUMMARY: Asplenium is a large, nearly cosmopolitan genus of more than 720 species, with centers of diversity in the Appalachians, Central America mountains, Andes, and Himalayas.
REFERENCE: Wagner, Moran, & Werth in FNA (1993b); Lin & Viane in FoC (2013)=FoC; Moran (1982); Taylor, Mohlenbrock, & Burton (1976)=Z; Murakami et al. (1999); Kramer & Viane in Kramer & Green (1990).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Asplenium rhizophyllum in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Asplenium rhizophyllum in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Asplenium rhizophyllum in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Asplenium rhizophyllum in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Asplenium rhizophyllum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Asplenium rhizophyllum

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12855 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 12855 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 10319 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 12855 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)