''Athyrium flexile'', commonly known as Newman's lady-fern or the flexile lady fern, is a taxon of which is

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Scotland, it has been regarded as a species but it is considered to be an

ecotype In evolutionary ecology, an ecotype,Greek: ''οίκος'' = home and ''τύπος'' = type, coined by Göte Turesson in 1922 sometimes called ecospecies, describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population, or race within a specie ...

of the

Alpine lady fern Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

. This fern is pale to yellow green in colour and has elliptic, double pinnate leaves which are deciduous. This ecotype grows more quickly and matures faster than the Alpine lady fern in substrates which have low levels of nutrients and is outcompeted by the Alpine lady fern in other situations. It is an upland variety typically found above on screes made up of siliceous rocks such as

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tec ...

and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) 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 cools and solidifies und ...

in the

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia * So ...

where it is found at only four sites. It is a snow-tolerant species, the snow lie protecting it from frosts. This small, deciduous fern is normally recorded from cool, shaded, north easterly to north westerly facing scree-slopes or where there is scree of large blocks of acidic rocks, particularly in areas where the snow lies late into the Spring and there is melt-water trickling down gullies. ''Athyrium flexile'' was first described in 1853 but may be a stunted variety of Alpine Lady-fern '' A. distentifolium'', a single gene mutation accounting for the difference between the two. It is considered by some experts to be a variant of Alpine Lady-fern (''Athyrium distentifolium var. ''flexile'') rather than a distinct species."The Scottish Biodiversity List - Species & Habitat Detail"
Biodiversity Scotland. Retrieved 29 June 2008."Species Action Plan: Newman's Lady Fern (''Athyrium flexile'')"
BAP. Retrieved 29 June 2008.Shaw, Philip and Thompson, Des (eds.) (2006) ''The Nature of the Cairngorms: Diversity in a changing environment''. Edinburgh. The Stationery Office. . pp. 221 and 233-34. Regarded as nationally scarce and

vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

, more than 75% of the population is found in the high

Cairngorm mountains The Cairngorms ( gd, Am Monadh Ruadh) are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain Cairn Gorm. The Cairngorms became part of Scotland's second national park (the Cairngorms National Park) on 1 S ...

including the boulder field plateau of

Braeriach Braeriach or Brae Riach ( gd, Am Bràigh Riabhach, 'the brindled upland') is the third-highest mountain in Scotland and all of the British Isles, after Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui, rising above sea level. It is in the Scottish Highlands and is ...

and in upper

Glen Doll Glen Doll, also sometimes spelt Glendoll, lies within the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, at the top of Glen Clova, in an area of steep hills, corries and Munros. It includes the Corrie Fee National Nature Reserve, which has many endangered ...

. It is found as high as in

Glen Einich A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

."Altitudinal limits of British and Irish vascular plants"
(rtf) Botanical Society of the British Isles. Retrieved 29 June 2008.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q616207 flexile Endemic flora of Scotland Highlands and Islands of Scotland