Four Fern IDs please

[KeenTeen17]

The first three ferns were growing in a hole in the ruins of an old mill. This hole is filled with lots of water and pondweed.

1) Is this black spleenwort?


2) This one looked like it had white spores on the underside


3) Is this common polypody


4) What is this it was growing on the base of a very mature beech tree.

[RobSutton]

The "white spores" on number 2 are the indusia (spore covers if you like). The distinct kidney shape takes us down in the the genus Dryopteris which includes the Buckler Ferns and Male Ferns. I don't think I could go any further than that.

3 - has bi-pinnate fronds so not Common Polypody - it is only pinnate

1 - seems to be tri-pinnate so that would probably make it either one of the Buckler Ferns (Dryopteris spp.) or Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina). If it was Lady Fern the sori (spore masses) would be arranged in a hal-moon or J-shape, in Dryopteris they would be roughly circular. I can't quite see enough detail in your photos.

Soory I can't be more definite.

[Mark Tulley]

Hi, KT17,
No 1 looks very much like Lady Fern to me.
No 3 is probably Male Fern - in fact 2 might also be the same species.
No 4 looks like a young tri-pinnate such as Broad Buckler Fern.

The Black Spleenwort (which I found on Monday at Cortachy) has a blacken lower stem and rod-like sporangia. It is a fairly small fern.

Good hunting,
Mark