On my walk ... the polypody fern

 


Polypody ferns [Polypdium vulgare] are not uncommon, they can be found on tree branches, walls and rocks, house roofs and also on bare earth on shady banks, often by water. They are much smaller than most other common ferns and their leaves are narrow and without 'sub-fronds' on its fronds; does that make sense? This specimen was growing on concrete on a path through the Byes.

Their favoured habitat is certainly growing on oak trees in deciduous woodland and that is probably the easiest place to find them as long as you remember to look upwards occasionally. In Dorset I found them in many woodlands I would expect to find them here when I go looking at our local woods around the Sid Valley.

There are three variations of polypody, the common, the Southern and the intermediate (or, in some books, the Western). Separating them is difficult unless you are an expert but Southern and intermediate prefer calcareous (chalk and lime) substrates and so are less likely to be found around our area. In any event, it really does not matter which of three they are, just enjoy finding them and looking at them! Any I find I record as 'Polypodium agg' which means it could be any one of the three.

Money does not grow on threes but ferns do!

Comments

  1. Ed Dolphin10 October 2022 at 08:02

    On the contrary dear Watson, all the Polypody I have found in Sidmouth have oval sori and strongly reflexed proximal pinnae which indicates Southern. The Mercia Mudstone that is our base rock is a calcareous clay.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Peter Orchard10 October 2022 at 08:32

    Fascinating! Learning about a new environment is going to be really interesting. I will take a closer look at the local polypody next time I find one.

    ReplyDelete

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