Ophioglossum vulgatum

Ophioglossum vulgatum, commonly known as adder's-tongue,^[1] southern adder's-tongue or adder's-tongue fern, is a species of fern in the family Ophioglossaceae.^[2]

Ophioglossum vulgatum
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Ophioglossales
Family:	Ophioglossaceae
Genus:	Ophioglossum
Species:	O. vulgatum
Binomial name
Ophioglossum vulgatum L.

The chloroplast genome was reported to have a size of 138,562 base pairs.^[3]

Description

Ophioglossum vulgatum grows from a rhizome base to 10–20 cm tall (rarely to 30 cm).^{[citation needed]} It consists of a two-part frond, separated into a 4-12 cm rounded diamond-shaped leaf sheath and narrow branchless spore-bearing spike.^[4] The spike has around 10-40 segments on each side.^{[citation needed]}

It reproduces by means of spores.^[4]

Taxonomy

Linnaeus described adder's-tongue with the binomial Ophioglossum vulgatum in his Species Plantarum of 1753.^[5]

Distribution

It is native to many regions with a wide scattered distribution: throughout temperate through tropical Africa and throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northeastern North America, temperate Asia, and Eurasia.^[2][6]

Growing in sand-dunes on Anglesey

Habitat

This small, hard-to-spot plant can occur singly in unimproved pastures, rock crevices and grassy path-sides, but also can occur in colonies of hundreds of plants in sand dunes.^{[citation needed]}

In Finland, unlike elsewhere, it grows on seashores, unlike other parts of the world where it tends to be a calciphile. Finland has fitting lime rich soil habitat sparsely, but the plant has found an equivalent living habitat from Finland's seashores affected by a post-glacial rebound: land just risen from the sea is often quite neutral and contains mineral salts in addition to being open and bare enough.^[4]

Rarity

This species is rare in most European countries. In Ukraine, there were recorded 280 loci: 152 before 1980, after 1980 – 120, as before and after 1980 – 8 locations.^[7]

Uses

Traditional European folk use of leaves and rhizomes as a poultice for wounds. This remedy was sometimes called the "Green Oil of Charity". A tea made from the leaves was used as a traditional European folk remedy for internal bleeding and vomiting.^[8]