An evergreen perennial fern, predominantly found in cool, moist crevices and fissures in maritime cliffs, and often within range of sea-spray. It occasionally grows on walls in coastal areas, but, because of its requirement for a frost-free environment, it is only exceptionally found on rocks inland. Lowland.
Most of the British sites lacking a post-1970 record were lost before 1930, and the distribution of this species is currently stable.
Suboceanic Southern-temperate element.
Light (Ellenberg): 9
Moisture (Ellenberg): 6
Reaction (Ellenberg): 5
Nitrogen (Ellenberg): 5
Salt Tolerance (Ellenberg): 3
January Mean Temperature (Celsius): 4.4
July Mean Temperature (Celsius): 14
Annual Precipitation (mm): 1261
PLANTATT - Attributes of British and Irish plants. (.zip 1455KB) This dataset was compiled and published in 2004, and last updated in November 2008. Download includes an Excel spreadsheet of the attributes, and a PDF explaining the background and nomenclature. Note that the PDF version is the booklet as published, whereas the Excel spreadsheet incorporates subsequent corrections. A hardcopy can be purchased from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Atlas text references
Atlas of north European vascular plants north of the Tropic of Cancer. 3 vols,
, Königstein, (1986)
Jalas & Suominen (1972)
Ferns and their allies,
, The Island of Mull: a survey of its flora and environment, London, p.12.1-12.7, (1978)
The ferns of Britain and Ireland, edn 2,
, Cambridge, (1997)