Hymenophyllum wilsonii Wilson's Filmy-fern C DD N
This is quite a difficult fern to find simply because it so often grows, as this one was, tangled with mosses which disguise its presence. The thin translucent leaves with veins growing right to the tip are characteristic. It prefers damp rather dark conditions and having taken a piece home to experiment with, is capable of enduring drought. It shrivels and looks dead when deprived of water but like many mosses comes back to life when water is plentiful again.
It is common in the west where and there are mountains with dark, damp rocky hollows. Very common in the north west of Scotland it is also found in the west of Ireland and Wales but not much in England except in the Lake district and a few places in the Pennines.
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| Hymenophyllum wilsonii |
Cwm Idwal, North Wales, 5th June 2007
Added on 1st February 2008, updated 12th April 2009, updated 7th April 2010, updated 9th September 2018