Ophioglossum azoricum

Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Pteridophyta
Classis: Psilotopsida
Ordo: Ophioglossales
Familia: Ophioglossaceae
Genus: Ophioglossum
Species: Ophioglossum azoricum

Name

Ophioglossum azoricum C. Presl

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Azoren-Natternzunge
English: Small Adder's Tongue
Français: Ophioglosse des Açores
Nederlands: Azorenaddertong

The small adder's-tongue (Ophioglossum azoricum) is a small vascular plant of the genus Ophioglossum, native to islands in the northern Atlantic Ocean and adjacent westernmost Europe from the Azores north to western France, the British Isles and Iceland.

The frond consists of a spore-less pointed leaf blade and a narrow pointed spore-bearing spike on a stalk. The spike has about 4-18 segments on each side, each of which opens up when ripe to release spores. The sterile blades are broadest near the middle and taper towards both ends.

This rare plant occurs in bare or shortly vegetated ground on exposed clifftops. In Iceland, it is only found in geothermal areas and is on the Icelandic list of endangered species (in some danger).

Some consider this plant to be a subspecies of Ophioglossum vulgatum, as O. vulgatum ssp. ambiguum (Coss. & Germ.) E.F. Warburg.

References

* Ophioglossum azoricum
* The Ferns (Filicopsida) of the British Isles by L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz