Asplenium trichomanes

Asplenium trichomanes, also known as Maidenhair Spleenwort, is a small evergreen fern that grows spontaneously in rocky and shaded areas. It is present in a wide area ranging from the mountain ranges of the Pyrenees and Alps to the Mediterranean coast. Hardy and adapted to Spartan conditions, this Maidenhair Spleenwort will thrive in gardens where the soil is scarce, such as in the crevices of walls, in rockeries, always far from the scorching sun.

Asplenium trichomanes belongs to the Aspleniaceae family, which includes about 700 species of terrestrial ferns, as well as those growing on tree branches (epiphytes) or on rocks (lithophytes). This Maidenhair Spleenwort, perennial with its erect rhizome, forms small, low and spreading but very dense tufts, 15 cm (6 in) tall and 20 cm (8i n) wide. Each tuft is composed of a multitude of leaves (called fronds) with almost black petioles and rachises. These slender fronds persist in winter, but can dry up in summer in case of drought, without harming the survival of the plant. Each frond, about 15 cm (6 in) long, is divided into 20 to 40 small rounded pinnules or divisions, of a lovely dark green colour with bronze reflections. The reproduction of this fern is ensured by the production of sori, which are small circular clusters of sporangia containing tiny spores. These sori, ranging from dark yellow to brown, form in the middle of spring on the undersides of the fronds. Note that this Asplenium thrives well in limestone soils.

This small fern, which thrives in shade or partial shade, finds its place in rockeries, on top of walls, or in the crevices of dry stone walls, which rarely receive direct sunlight. It can also be grown in pots, in a very well-draining mix. Under favourable conditions, it self-seeds in various places, always in rocky crevices, sometimes in the sun, sometimes in the shade depending on the region, but never in arid areas. Plant it also at the base of deciduous shrubs or along pathways. You can associate this Asplenium trichomanes with epimediums, hellebores, cyclamen hederifolium, and primroses, etc.