Checking out Aspleniums

Monday 30th November 2015 - Dalton Crags  (1400hrs to 1600hrs)

The weather was atrocious earlier but did manage to get out between 1400hrs and 1600hrs to check the area of the escarpment (Rockcress Escarpment).  A couple of things of note are as follows.

Checking out the Asplenium Trichomanes (Maidenhair Spleenworts)  In one particular area and tucked away in the shade of a cleft within the escarpment, and a area damp with dripping water it was quite noticeable that the fronds of the plants were much larger that the normally typical Trichomanes we have come to expect.  I have published a photo here to show the comparisons.

Maidenhair Spleenwort  (asplenium trichomanes)
1 - Top: Standard average size of the plant. 2nd, 3rd and 4th down: Showing the sizes of the fronds (much enlarged) I found under the cleft of the escarpment.

I can only put this enlargement down maybe to being in a area which would be far more moist and also a area receiving more prolonged water feed during rainy periods, I have no other explanation to offer.

Also whilst out this afternoon I was able to find a large Harts Tongue Fern (asplenium scolopendrium) with a forked frond as follows:

Harts Tongue Fern  (asplenium scolopendrium)
Unusual to see the frond forked at the top

Also found some more Polypody which I do think could well be the rare Southern Polypody (Cambricum) pictured below: