The woods behind Kennack Sands are a great spot for ferns, including the distinctive and evergreen Hart’s-tongue.

Photo: Amanda Scott

The Hart’s-tongue fern is instantly recognisable, although it’s not always identified as a fern by the uninitiated. This is the only fern of northwestern Europe, including the UK, that has undivided leaves, and so it doesn’t look much like a fern at first glance. A quick inspection, however, reveals the two rows of sori (the structures containing the spores) on the underside of each leaf. An evergreen perennial, it can be found illuminating winter woodlands and shady places when its glossy green leaves catch the low sunlight. It is common across much of the UK, apart from the furthest north.

Did you know…?

…The species name, scolopendrium, is from the Latin for centipede. This is a reference to the pattern of the sori (structures containing the spores) in rows either side of the stem, looking a little like a centipede’s legs.

…Hart’s-tongue was used in the nineteenth century as a tonic for ailments of the spleen. Another use in rural areas was to make an ointment to treat burns.