Asplenium Species, Walking Fern, Walking Spleenwort

I grew this for several years in a part shade stone wall in which I had deeply inserted a little limestone/marble. It grew and "walked" q...Read Moreuite well. Really fun to grow and watch it root! I did paper clip the tips of the leaves to its neighboring dirt slot to assist its rooting. Love this plant. Hope to find it again.

Native Ontario, Canada, the central, eastern, and southern part of the United States, inclusing Kansas and Oklahoma (excluding Florida a...Read Morend Louisiana), as well as Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico.

This plant is considered an endangered/threatened species in the states of Michigan, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. It is also listed as exploitably vulnerable in the State of New York.

A very strange and unusual fern. I was at first puzzled by it when I found a wild clump near a limestone spring.
It propagates its...Read Moreelf by plantlets at the tips of the fronds. These eventually come in contact with the soil and root, so in a way they "walk" (if you can call it that).

This fern grows in low mats on limestone ledges and boulders, often over a layer of moss. It requires constant humidity and therefore it...Read More only survives in natural settings that are in close proximity to rivers and streams or other water sources that constantly humidify the air. Sadly, it has been overcollected in many instances by ignorant persons who think they can grow it at home. It will survive in a terrarium, with extremely careful watering. It spreads by new baby plantlets that arise at the leaf tips, rooting where they touch down. It is always a delight to see large boulders completely covered with this fern, but one needs to appreciate it in it's own specialized habitat.