May 12, 2025
Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), native to eastern North America, as well as southern Africa. It is a small evergreen fern that grows to between 6 and 10 inches tall.
A fern that I have the pleasure of seeing occasionally as I hike the trails up here in these beautiful mountains. It not only grows in a wide variety of soil types, but it also can grow on nearly bare rocks.
_______________________
If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
2 responses to “Ebony Spleenwort”
I wonder why it’s called ebony, since that means black.
Hi Grace! This fern has the name Ebony Spleenwort because the stipe, or stem of the fern frond, resembles the color of the wood, ebony.
So very glad you read my posts!
Bren