Asplenium montanum (Mountain Spleenwort)

Asplenium montanum (Mountain Spleenwort) is an evergreen fern forming a pretty rosette of drooping, delicate, blue-green fronds. Lanceolate to deltate, they feature 4-10 pairs of pinnae with incised margins and a rounded apex. They are pinnate at the base of the rachis, and pinnatifid at the top of the rachis. The rachis is green and slightly pubescent with glandular hairs. This perennial fern grows from a short creeping rhizome and spreads prolifically. It remains lush and fresh-looking throughout the year. Native to the eastern United States, Mountain Spleenwort occurs naturally in partially shaded, damp crevices of non-calcareous rock outcroppings, cliffs, balds, ledges, and talus slopes. Low maintenance, disease free, Mountain Spleenwort is attractive tucked tightly into non-calcareous rock crevices where it can be admired close-up or in a shady rock garden.

• Grows up to 3-5 in. tall (7-12 cm).
• A part to full shade lover, it is best grown in acidic soils in non-calcareous rock crevices.
• Mountain Spleenwort is somewhat difficult to grow due to its requirement for a rocky environment.
• No serious disease issues. Keep an eye out for slugs.
• Dead or damaged fronds may be removed as necessary.
• Propagate by sowing spores in mid to late summer or by division in spring.
• Native to the eastern United States. It is found primarily in the Appalachian Mountains from Vermont to Alabama, with a few isolated populations in the Ozarks and in the Ohio Valley.