''Anogramma leptophylla'', sometimes called Jersey fern, is a species of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

in the family

Pteridaceae Pteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, including some 1150 known species in ca 45 genera (depending on taxonomic opinions), divided over five subfamilies. The family includes four groups of genera that are sometimes recogni ...

. It is found worldwide in temperate and subtropical regions. A rarity in the Pteridophyta, it is a fern whose sporophyte tends to have an annual life cycle. The

gametophyte A gametophyte () is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has one set of chromosomes. The gametophyte is the se ...

s of this species have the ability to become dormant and wait as much as two and a half years until conditions are appropriate for the

sporophyte A sporophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the biological life cycle, life cycles of plants and algae. It is a diploid multicellular organism which produces asexual Spo ...

stage of the life-cycle.

Description

''Anogramma leptophylla'' is a small annual fern, seldom exceeding in height. It has delicate, two-pinnate fronds, only the inner ones being fertile and bearing linear spore cases on the undersides of the nearly circular leaflets, occupying most of their surface area. The leaf margins are not curled.

Distribution and habitat

''Anogramma leptophylla'' has an oceanic temperate distribution. It is found in the Mediterranean area (southern France, Italy) and is widespread in North America. The only place in the British Isles in which it occurs is the island of

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

. It grows on walls and banks, especially when there is underlying

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

rock. It prefers to grow on bare soil in moist but well-drained locations as it is not very competitive.

Ecology

Other plants growing in the same habitats include the pellitory-of-the-wall '' Parietaria lusitanica'' and the Mediterranean clubmoss (''Selaginella denticulata'') in northern Italy, and the clubmoss, the liverwort '' Targionia hypophylla'' and the mosses '' Rhynchostegiella tenella'' and ''

Timmiella anomala ''Timmiella'' is a genus of mosses in the family Timmiellaceae. The genus has an almost cosmopolitan distribution. The genus was previously classified in the family Pottiaceae until molecular phylogenetic analysis was completed in 2014. Speci ...

'' in

Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...

. These plants are all heat-loving and are able to survive the winter by growing in locations where warm water seeps out of crevices, giving a tropical

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

References

* Molnár, C. et al. 2008., Remote, inland occurrence of the oceanic ''Anogramma leptophylla'' (L.) Link (Pteridaceae: Taenitidoideae) in Hungary, ''Amer. Fern J.'', 98(3): 128 - 138. {{Taxonbar, from=Q946400 Pteridaceae Flora of the Channel Islands Flora of Southwestern Europe Flora of Southeastern Europe Flora of Lebanon Flora of Australia Plants described in 1753