Fern & Bamboo

[davidbr]

Since I've never included either ferns or bamboos in my listing (and am still considering whether or not to now...) I'm absolutely hopeless at their identification

So, I was hoping someone could help me put a name to these two...?

Bamboo; sorry about the awful picture, but the clump was growing half way down the side of the Avon Gorge and had to be taken on x12 magnification




Fern; from the habitat where it was found, seems to be a lover of damp, shady woodland

[The Woodman]

Your fern is Common Polypody but I'm bamboozled with the other.

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Your fern is Common Polypody but I'm bamboozled with the other.

Thanks, that's a start at least

[JennyS]

Your fern is Common Polypody but I'm bamboozled with the other.

It is a polypody but they are difficult to accurately identify and have a horrible tendency to hybridise!
Yours doesn't look like Common Polypody, Polypodium vulgare as the fronds look too wide........

[The Woodman]

Happy to stand corrected JennyS, I've just looked closely at my Pv growing on slate and would ask if ferns growning on nutrient richer substrate as on the limestone in the Avon Gorge would appear to be "stronger" than those on a poorer substrate?

[JennyS]

I'm not too good on ferns at all but the different polypody species are often associated with different habitats which can help with identification. (As can spores and an expert peering over your shoulder )

Your 'stronger' polypody on limestone is probably Southern Polypody, P.cambricum. P. vulgare prefers more acidic, poorer substrates.

[KeenTeen17]

Your tree is bamboo alright. I posted a thread recently called Wheres the Panda. All the details about bamboo are on there

[thunder]

You'd need microscopic examination to be certain of the polypody species

henrya

[The Woodman]

I take it all back davidbr. I think it's safe to say it's a Polypody though.

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by davidbr

Since I've never included either ferns or bamboos in my listing (and am still considering whether or not to now...) I'm absolutely hopeless at their identification

So, I was hoping someone could help me put a name to these two...?

Bamboo; sorry about the awful picture, but the clump was growing half way down the side of the Avon Gorge and had to be taken on x12 magnification

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

Your tree is bamboo alright. I posted a thread recently called Wheres the Panda. All the details about bamboo are on there

Wheres the Panda? This is the thread I posted a while back. Tiggrx mentioned that this is the commonest and most likely.

Definitely a Bamboo - there are several which can be found semi-wild in Britain. The commonest is usually Pseudosasa japonica.