| Struthiopteris spicant | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| Suborder: | Aspleniineae |
| Family: | Blechnaceae |
| Genus: | Struthiopteris |
| Species: | S. spicant |
| Binomial name | |
| Struthiopteris spicant (L.) F.W.Weiss | |
| Synonyms [1] [2] | |
Synonyms
| |
Struthiopteris spicant, syn. Blechnum spicant, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. It is known by the common names hard-fern [3] or deer fern.
Like some other species in the family Blechnaceae, it has two types of leaves. The sterile leaves have flat, wavy-margined leaflets 5 to 8 millimetres (1⁄4 to 3⁄8 in) wide, while the fertile leaves have much narrower leaflets, each with two thick rows of sori on the underside. [4]
The species was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus as Osmunda spicant. It has been placed in a wide range of genera, including Blechnum (as Blechnum spicant). [1] In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the genus Struthiopteris , in the subfamily Blechnoideae. [5]
The Latin specific epithet spicant is of uncertain origin, possibly referring to a tufted or spiky habit. [6]
It is native to Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, and western North America. [1] [7]
S. spicant is hardy down to −20 °C (−4 °F) and evergreen, growing to 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in). [8]
The root, shoots and leaves can be cooked as famine food. [9]
It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [10]
