Asplenium pinnatifidum

Nutt.

Lobed Spleenwort

G4Apparently Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154268
Element CodePPASP02100
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyAspleniaceae
GenusAsplenium
Synonyms
Asplenosorus pinnatifidus(Nutt.) Mickelx Asplenosorus pinnatifidus(Nutt.) Mickel
Other Common Names
lobed spleenwort (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (1993, vol. 2), Kartesz (1994), and Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team (2023) accept Asplenium pinnatifidum, which is a fertile allotetraploid derived from hybridization of A. montanum and A. rhizophyllum. The generic placement of this taxon is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-09-26
Change Date1989-04-20
Edition Date2023-09-26
Edition AuthorsNordman, C. (2023).
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lobed Spleenwort (Asplenium pinnatifidum) occurs in the eastern United States, in the Appalachians, from New Jersey to Alabama, west into Cumberland and Interior Low Plateaus, extending westward into the Ozarks and Ouachitas, and disjunct in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. There are estimated to be more than 300 occurrences. Threats include loss and fragmentation of habitat, forest management practices, quarrying, recreation impacts from rock climbing, and extreme drought such as may be exacerbated by climate change.
Range Extent Comments
Lobed Spleenwort (Asplenium pinnatifidum) occurs in the eastern United States, in the Appalachians from New Jersey and Pennsylvania south to Georgia and Alabama, becoming more common in the Cumberland and Interior Low Plateaus from West Virginia, southeastern Ohio and Kentucky to southern Illinois and Mississippi, extending westward into the Ozarks and Ouachitas of southern Missouri, Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma, and disjunct in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Range extent was estimated to be 1.3 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1992 and 2023 (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993, GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2023).
Occurrences Comments
Based on NatureServe Network occurrence data, herbarium records, and photo-based observations documented between 1992 and 2023, and anecdotal evidence, there are over 300 occurrences of Lobed Spleenwort, rangewide (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023).
Threat Impact Comments
Land-use conversion, loss and fragmentation of habitat, and forest management practices are low-level threats to this species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002), other threats include quarrying, recreation impacts from rock climbing, and extreme drought such as may be exacerbated by climate change (Dodds 2022).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Asplenium pinnatifidum occurs on cliffs, ledges, and boulders of acidic, felsic sedimentary or (mostly low-grade) metamorphic rocks, such as sandstone, phyllite, and schist, at up to 1000 m elevation (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2023).

Reproduction

Drought may reduce reproduction in this fern (Dodds 2022).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
IllinoisS1Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
VirginiaS3Yes
New YorkSXYes
GeorgiaS3Yes
WisconsinS1Yes
IndianaS4Yes
OklahomaS1Yes
MissouriSUYes
New JerseyS1Yes
South CarolinaS1Yes
MississippiS1Yes
OhioSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
MarylandS1Yes
PennsylvaniaS3Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
ArkansasS3Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. decline
3 - Energy production & miningSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceSmall (1-10%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activitiesSmall (1-10%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (4)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Indiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mogan RidgeHoosier National Forest8,435
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
References (9)
  1. Dodds, J. 2022. <i>Asplenium pinnatifidum</i> Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites, State Forest Fire Service and Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 17 pp. [https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/asplenium-pinnatifidum-lobed-spleenwort.pdf]
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1993a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xvi + 475 pp.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
  4. iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  6. NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
  8. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  9. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2023. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 14, 2023. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2105 pp.