| Asplenium rhizophyllum |
| Walking fern |
Key Characteristics
Small fern forming dense colonies by tip-rooting; fronds lanceolate with heart-shaped bases and very long tapering tips; occurring on large moss-covered dolomite boulders.
Status and Rank
- State Status: T - Threatened (legally protected)
- State Rank: S2S3 - Rank is uncertain, ranging from imperiled to vulnerable
- Global Rank: G5 - Secure
Occurrences
| County Name | Number of Occurrences | Year Last Observed |
|---|---|---|
| Alpena | 1 | 1952 |
| Berrien | 1 | 1994 |
| Chippewa | 6 | 1996 |
| Delta | 1 | 1979 |
| Dickinson | 3 | 2001 |
| Houghton | 1 | 1970 |
| Leelanau | 1 | 1982 |
| Mackinac | 17 | 2002 |
| Menominee | 1 | 1905 |
![Occurrence Map for [Sname]](/mnfi/maptmp/NFR_Distributions12590211145896.png)
Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.
Habitat
Found on large moss-covered boulders in northern hardwoods within the Niagara Escarpment regions. Is it also known from alkaline bedrock outcrops in the western Upper Peninsula, from sinkholes in northeastern Lower Michigan, and very rarely on large, rotting, fallen trees in rich forests. Topographically this species usually occurs at or above the 700 ft contour line.
Natural Community Types
Associated Plants
Polypody, maidenhair spleenwort, hart's tongue fern, green spleenwort, fragile fern, Braun's Christmas fern, northern holly fern, sugar maple, Eastern hemlock, beech, yellow birch, basswood, white pine, red oak, white cedar, white birch, ironwood, American elm, balsam fir, white baneberry, red baneberry, wild leek, wild sarsaparilla, jack-in-the-pulpit, blue cohosh, enchanter's nightshade, bunchberry, blue-bead lily, Canada mayflower, Solomon's seal, false spikenard, twisted stalk, bellwort, star flower, nodding trillium, common trillium, maiden hair fern, lady fern, rattlesnake fern, spinulose woodfern, stiff clubmoss, shining clubmoss, ground pine, striped maple, leatherwood, fly honeysuckle, and maple-leaf viburnum.
Management
Generally requires shade and moist, moss-covered limestone or dolomite boulders. Species is likely sensitive to drying and scorching from overexposure to sunlight. Maintain overstory and minimize development and fragmentation. When possible, leave large tracts of unharvested forests and allow natural processes (growth, senescence, wind throw, fire, disease, insect infestation, etc) to operate unhindered. If forest is being managed for timber, minimize fragmentation, leave long periods of recuperation between harvests (50-70 yrs.), preserve as much area as possible in a forested matrix, and maintain a range of canopy closure comparable to pre-harvest closure.
General Survey Guidelines
Random meander search covers areas that appear likely to have rare taxa, based on habitat and the judgement of the investigator.
Survey Methods
- Meander search
Survey Period: From first week of May to fourth week of October
Survey Comments: Search cliff faces, large limestone/dolomite boulders, and low outcrops
More Information
See MNFI Species AbstractReferences
Survey References
- Elzinga, C.L., D.W. Salzer, and J.W. Willoughby. 1998. Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations. The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management, Denver. BLM Technical Reference 1730-1. 477pp.
- Goff, G.F., G.A. Dawson, and J.J. Rochow. 1982. Site examination for Threatened and Endangered plant species. Environmental Management 6(4): 307-316
- Nelson, J.R. 1984. Rare Plant Field Survey Guidelines. In: J.P. Smith and R. York. Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 3rd Ed. California Native Plant Society, Berkeley. 174pp.
- Nelson, J.R. 1986. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques For Impact Assessment. Natural Areas Journal 5(3):18-30.
- Nelson, J.R. 1987. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques for Impact Assessment. In: Conservation and management of rare and endangered plants. Ed. T.S. Elias. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 8pp.
Technical References
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 1993. Flora of North America, North of Mexico. Volume 2: Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. Oxford University Press, New York. 475pp.
- Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second edition. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 910pp.
- Gray, A. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany; eighth ed. Van Nostrand Reinghold, New York. 1632pp.
- Holmgren, N.H. 1998. Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the vascular plants of Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 937pp.
- Lellinger, D.B. 1985. A field manual of ferns and fern allies of the United States and Canada.. Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington D.C. 389pp.
- Mickel, J.T. 1979. How to know the ferns and fern allies. The Pictured Key Nature Series. William C. Brown Company, Dubuque. 229pp.