Asplenium trichomanes — maidenhair spleenwort
![Plant form: Asplenium trichomanes. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Aspleniaceae/asplenium-trichomanes-ha-ahaines-a.jpg)
![Detail of leaf and/or divisions: Asplenium trichomanes. ~ By Bruce Patterson. ~ Copyright © 2024 Bruce Patterson. ~ foxpatterson[at]comcast.net](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Aspleniaceae/asplenium-trichomanes-ld-bpatterson.jpg)
![Sori: Asplenium trichomanes. ~ By Robbin Moran. ~ Copyright © 2024 Robbin Moran. ~ rmoran[at]nybg.org ~ Plant Systematics - www.plantsystematics.org/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Aspleniaceae/asplenium-trichomanes-so-rmoran.jpg)
![Leaf: Asplenium trichomanes. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Aspleniaceae/asplenium-trichomanes-le-ahaines-b.jpg)
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Facts
Maidenhair spleenwort is divided into two subspecies, one (Asplenium trichomanes ssp. trichomanes) that grows in crevices of acidic rocks and one (A. trichomanes ssp. quadrivalens) that grows on more basic (alkaline) rocks.
Habitat
Cliffs, balds, or ledges, ridges or ledges, talus and rocky slopes
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf divisions
- the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
- Plant growth form
- the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground
- Spore-bearing leaflets
- the spore-bearing fronds are similar in size and shape to the sterile fronds
- Sorus shape
- the sori are long and narrow, and straight
- Leaf stalk scales
-
- the leaf stalk has scales
- there are no scales on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk hairs
- there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
- Leaf blade length
- 3–22 cm
- Leaf vein tips
- the veins end in small round expanded areas, and do not reach the edge of the leaf blade
-
Growth form
- Life form
- the plant is herbaceous and terrestrial
- Life stage
- the plant is visible as a typical leaf-bearing fern (sporophyte)
- Spore-bearing leaflets
- the spore-bearing fronds are similar in size and shape to the sterile fronds
-
Leaves
- Features of leaves
- there are no special features on the leaves
- Leaf blade length
- 3–22 cm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blades are long and very narrow (linear)
- Leaf blade tip shape
- the tip of the leaf blade is a blunt point (obtuse)
- Leaf blade width
- At least 0.5 cm
- Leaf divisions
- the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
- Leaf lifespan
- the leaves remain green all year round, or are green in winter
- Leaf stalk color
- red or red-brown to purple or black
- Leaf stalk hairs
- there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk length
- 10–70 mm
- Leaf stalk relative length
- the leaf stalk is up to a quarter as long as the blade
- Leaf stalk scale location
- the scales are present only on the lower half of the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk scales
-
- the leaf stalk has scales
- there are no scales on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk vessels
- 2 bundles
- Leaf vein branching
- the secondary veins of the leaf blade branch dichotomously (two equal branches at each branch point)
- Leaf vein tips
- the veins end in small round expanded areas, and do not reach the edge of the leaf blade
- Leaflet relative size
- the bottom leaflets are about half as long as, to slightly longer than, the leaflets from the middle of the frond
- Leaflet stalks
- the leaflets do not have stalks
- Lobe or leaflet length
- 25–80 mm
- Lobe or leaflet pairs
- 15–35
- Lobe or leaflet shape
-
- the lobe or leaflet is rectangular but with rounded ends (oblong)
- the lobe or leaflet is roughly egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle (obovate)
- the lobe or leaflet is widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends; egg-shaped
- Lobe or leaflet width
- 2.5–4 mm
- Plant growth form
- the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground
- final leaf segment margin
-
- the topmost lobe or leaflet of the leaf blade has a smooth or lobed edge
- the topmost lobe or leaflet of the leaf blade has an edge with teeth
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- cliffs, balds, or ledges
- ridges or ledges
- talus or rocky slopes
-
Spores or spore cones
- Sorus features
- there are no special features on the sorus
- Sorus shape
- the sori are long and narrow, and straight
- Sporangia location
- the spores are clustered on sori on the lower surface of the leaf blade
- Sporangium type
- the sporangia are opaque without an annulus and usually without a stalk (leptosporangiate)
- Spore forms
- there is only one type of spore present
Wetland status
Occurs only in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: UPL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Rhode Island
- rare (S-rank: S2), concern (code: C)
ssp. quadrivalens
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
ssp. trichomanes
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
Subspecies and varieties
Asplenium trichomanes L. ssp. trichomanes is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, VT. A. trichomanes ssp. quadrivalens D.E. Mey. is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT.
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
5. Asplenium trichomanes L. N
maidenhair spleenwort. CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT; nearly throughout. Growing on cliffs, boulders, and talus. Characters for the following key were extracted from Ekrt and Štech (2008). Those listed in Moran (1982), who drew on European studies of this species, do not appear to be useful for New England populations.
1a. Marginal cells of rachis wings ascending, often longer than wide, rounded at the apex; distance between petiolules on same side of rachis near apex of leaf blade 2–4 mm; terminal leaflet 3–7 mm wide; spores mostly 34–43 μm; plants primarily of circumneutral to basic rock … 5a. A. trichomanes ssp. quadrivalens D.E. Mey.
1b. Marginal cells of rachis wings nearly perpendicular to plant axis, often as wide or wider than long, truncate at the apex; distance between petiolules as measured in 1a 3–7 mm; terminal leaflet 1.5–4 mm wide; spores mostly 29–36 μm; plants mostly of acidic rock … 5b. A. trichomanes ssp. trichomanes
Subspecies quadrivalens is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Subspecies trichomanes is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, VT.
5a×5b. Asplenium trichomanes L. nssp. lusaticum (D.E. Mey.) Lawalrée is a very rare spleenwort hybrid in New England known from ME, NH, VT. Given the similarity between the parental subspecies, this nothosubspecies is best identified by its abortive spores.
4×5. Asplenium ruta-muraria × Asplenium trichomanes → Asplenium ×clermontae Syme is an extremely rare spleenwort hybrid known from VT. It resembles A. trichomanes in general outline (i.e., it has once-pinnately compound leaf blades), but the leaflets are lobed (especially the larger ones) and the rachis is green (rather than brown-red to black-brown).