Species name :

Asplenium ceterachL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 1080 (1753)

Synonyms :

Basionym or principal synonym: Ceterech officinarum Willd.

Full list of synonyms : [ Euro+Med ]   [ PlantList ]   [ IPNI ]   [ Catalogue of Life ]

Plant Family :

Aspleniaceae The Spleenwort Family 4 Aspleniaceae species recorded from Malta.
Newman

English name(s) :

Rusty-back Fern, Scale Fern

Maltese name(s) :

Felċi tal-Ħitan tas-Sejjieħ

Status for Malta :

Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man

Frequency :

Very Common     Common     Frequent     Scarce     Rare     Very Rare     Extinct

Growth form :

Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Soon to be updated...
Germination [info]: Dicotyledon

Legal Protection [link]:

Protected by law: schedule VI of legal notice LN311/2006. (strictly protected species)

Red List (1989) :

This species has a threatened status and is listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands

Flowering Time :

All year

Colour of Flowers:

Inc

Habitat :

Shaded rubble walls in cool, sheltered sites close to valleys.

Habitat in Europe:

Dry rocks and walls.

Preferred habitat in Malta:

Shaded rubble walls in cool, sheltered sites close to valleys.

Botanical Description:

Leaves 3-25 cm, persistent, oblong; petiole short, 1/6-1/4 as long as the lamina, covered with scales; lamina pinnatisect, greyish to dark green above, covered with light brown, overlapping scales beneath; leaf-segments alternate, ovate or oblong, 9-12 on each side, entire or crenate, rounded at the apex. Sori c. 2 mm. Mean exospore-length 35-41 µm.

Chromosome number:

2n=72, 144

Distributional range:

W., S. & C. Europe, northwards to Scotland and S.E. Sweden, eastwards to Krym.

Distributional map in Europe
and the Mediterranean region (2018):

Occurrences in Europe.
(from Flora Europaea pre year 1993):

Albania, Belgium, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Bulgaria, Corse, Crete, Czeck Republic and Slovakia, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Germany, Greece, Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Hungary, Italy (excl. Sicily and Sardignia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Romania, Russia and former USSR, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Sweden, Turkey (European part), Introduced in  Austria and Liechtenstein, Poland

Occurrences in Europe and the Mediterranean region.
(Euro+Med Checklist, 2017) - Country codes

Ab(A N) AE(G) Ag Al Ar Au(A) Be(B L) BH Bl(I M N) Br Bu Ca(C T) Cg Co Cr Cs Ct Cy Eg Ga(C F M) Ge Gg(D) Gr Hb(E N) He Ho Hs(A G S) Hu Ir It Le Li Lu Ma Mk Rf(CS) Rm Sa Si(M S) Sk Sl SM Sn Sr Su Sy Tn Tu(A E) Uk(K) [Au Po]