Asplenium onopteris Irish Spleenwort RRR DDD N
Asplenium onopteris is rare plant. We weren't at all sure of what it looked like because we couldn't find any decent pictures of this fern in the reference books or on the Web.
It was on an roadside bank among other ferns (Asplenium trichomanes, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum and others) and distracting, overgrowing vegetation.
This was a good example of rare plant hunting. We were given the exact location with small details, and we accurately located where it was growing but still couldn't recognise it until we'd been looking for a while.
Although there are a couple of sites recorded in Wales and Scotland, this plant is largely confined to Ireland and southern Ireland at that.
Roadside, Near Blarney, Ireland 14th June 2003
Added on 12th November 2004, updated 16th October 2008, updated Feb 28th 2010, updated Se3 26th April 2010