Maidenhair Spleenwort
If you are hiking along damp, shady and mossy cliffs and boulders that aren’t buried under snow yet, keep an eye out for rosettes formed by the fronds of Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes), one of several evergreen ferns. It was felt that the linear, spleen-shaped sori (clusters of spore cases) on the backs of the fertile fronds indicated that the plant could be used to treat ailments of the spleen, thus leading to its common name.
In the summer, the fertile fronds (those bearing spores) are upright while the smaller sterile fronds spread horizontally. The shiny purple-brown stem, or stipe, and the tiny oval leaflets (pinnae) that are opposite one another are key identification characteristics.
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