Asplenium scolopendrium

Hart's-tongue fern

An evergreen fern with glossy, undivided, strap-shaped fronds, common across western and southern Europe and scattered across North Africa, western Asia, East Asia and North America. It favours cool, shaded, moist spots on lime-rich rock and soil, including old mortared walls. It is fully hardy and does best kept cool and shaded rather than warm indoors.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry

Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Moist, shaded places on neutral to calcium-rich substrates under deciduous hardwoods: wooded ravines, limestone outcrops, sinkholes, stream banks and damp crevices in walls, including lime-mortared brickwork. Plants in full sun are stunted and yellowish, while those in shade stay dark green. The rare North American variety grows in limestone sinkholes, caves and cool ravines.

Mostly lowland to mid-montane. The 9 GBIF records with an elevation span 320–1462 m, median 508 m, but most records are from near sea level in Britain and the Netherlands.

EuropeNorth AfricaMacaronesiaWestern AsiaCaucasusEast AsiaEastern North AmericaMexico

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 2.5 licence, unmodified.