Forked Spleenwort (Asplenium septentrionale)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > fern > Fern |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Asplenium septentrionale |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (L.) Hoffm. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Listed as VU in England red list, & confined to c. 10 widely scattered sites. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Many populations highly localised & small, & will require targeted actions to address conservation needs. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Programmes to maintain igneous rock outcrops in upland zone free of excess scrub woodland may benefit this species & other species of base-rich habitat. Work should target areas with extant or historic populations of species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Like other rare fern species, A septentrionale shows little evidence of regeneration from spores at many English locations. Plant long-lived, but most threatened by shading at present time (though collection has been significant problem in former decades. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake full survey of all English localities, to assess population sizes, evidence of plant recruitment & current state/suitability of sites for this fern
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Lake District
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake targeted management for the species to include scrub & tree removal to provide suitable conditions for the species.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Lake District, Canonteign,
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Review & trial techniques for encouraging spore recruitment, naturally & in situ. Consider production of ex situ material for translocation / reintroduction, particularly at lost or very small sites.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.