© Stan Beesley
© Graham Day
Map updated: March 2008
:: Flora of Northern Ireland ::
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| Trichomanes speciosum | Hymenophyllaceae | Killarney Fern |
| Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images | |||
© Stan Beesley |
© Graham Day |
Map updated: March 2008 |
|
| This is a Protected species in Northern Ireland under the Wildlife (NI) Order, 1985. (More details) |
| This is a UK Priority plant species. (More details) |
| Species Description: |
| This fern, like other ferns, has two stages to its life-cycle. The typical fern-like stage is the sporophyte and is very rare, being known from one site in Northern Ireland: a cave near the coast in NE Antrim. Formerly the plant was common about Killarney (whence its English name) but over-collecting by gardeners and botanists in the 19th century all but exterminated it there. The other stage is the gametophyte which is like a filamentous green alga, and appears to be commoner. It is known from a number of sites in Co Fermanagh, all found since 1993. |
| All names: Trichomanes speciosum Willd.; Trichomanes andrewsii Newm.; Trichomanes radicans auct. |
| © National Museums Northern Ireland, 2000-2009 |