Chain fern
Woodwardia radicans
Family · Blechnaceae · Harmless
The fern that walks: the fronds reach three metres, arch to the ground and produce a bud at the tip, which roots and starts the plant again a metre further on.
Streams and ditches · Oak woods · Walls and rocks
Also known asEuropean chain fern, rooting chain fern
How to tell it
Enormous arching fronds, twice divided, pale green and glossy. At the tip of each mature frond there is a fleshy bud that starts a new plant when it touches the ground, which is the mark and the name. The sori are elongated and set in a row on each side of the midrib, like links of a chain.
What it is confused with
Hard fern
Struthiopteris spicant
They are in the same family and both have elongated sori beside the midrib. Hard fern is small, has two kinds of frond on one plant and grows in a tuft; chain fern is giant, arching, and makes a bud at the tip. Neither is dangerous.
Open sheet →What it is for
None. It is another Tertiary relic and is protected, both on the islands and in the few mainland streams where it holds on. It always grows in places with permanent humidity and deep shade.
The law says
A species protected under the Habitats Directive. Do not collect or cut it.