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Asplenium ruta-muraria

L.

Wallrue Spleenwort

G5Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.142580
Element CodePPASP021B0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyAspleniaceae
GenusAsplenium
Other Common Names
Doradille des murailles (FR) wallrue (EN) Wall-rue (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
"Asplenium ruta-muraria is a circumboreal species of Europe, Asia, and North America; in North America it occurs as var. lanceolum" (Weakley et al. 2025). "The relationship of North American A. ruta-muraria, a tetraploid, to the diploid and tetraploid taxa of the A. ruta-muraria complex present in Europe and e. Asia is uncertain. Given the prevalence of allopolyploidy in Asplenium and slight morphologic differences between American and European material, we prefer not to assume its identity to the European plants." (Weakley 2025).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-11-03
Change Date1984-02-09
Edition Date2023-11-03
Edition AuthorsTomaino, A. (2023)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Asplenium ruta-muraria has a wide range in eastern North America and though it is rare in portions of its range, there are estimated to be between 81 and over 300 occurrences rangewide.
Range Extent Comments
In North America, Asplenium ruta-muraria is known from New Brunswick, Quebec, Vermont, southern Ontario, and northern Michigan south northwest Georgia, northern Alabama, and Arkansas (Jones and Coile 1988, Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993, Peck 2011, Brouillet et al. 2023, Native Plant Trust 2023, Weakley 2023). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1992 and 2023 (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023).
Occurrences Comments
Based on NatureServe Network occurrence data, herbarium records, and photo-based observations, there are between 81 and over 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023).
Threat Impact Comments
Land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, and forest management practices are low-level threats to this species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002). Invasive plants and recreational use are also mentioned as threats (NatureServe 2023).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat is moist to dry outcrops of calcareous sedimentary or metamorphic rocks, such as limestone, dolostone, marble, shale, at low to moderate elevations, cliffs and boulders, rarely on masonry (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993, Weakley 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaS4Yes
KentuckySNRYes
MassachusettsS2Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
MarylandS3Yes
AlabamaS1Yes
ConnecticutS2Yes
OhioS3Yes
New JerseySNRYes
IowaS1Yes
GeorgiaS1Yes
New YorkS4Yes
WisconsinS1Yes
IllinoisSHYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
North CarolinaS1Yes
IndianaS3Yes
ArkansasS1Yes
MichiganS1Yes
VermontS3Yes
MissouriSNRYes
CanadaN2
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS1Yes
QuebecSNRYes
OntarioS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource use———
5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting———
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance———
6.1 - Recreational activities———
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases———
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases———

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (6)
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Harper CreekPisgah National Forest7,325
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Brush Mountain EastJefferson National Forest4,916
JerkemtightGeorge Washington National Forest16,687
Three SistersGeorge Washington National Forest8,149
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
References (11)
  1. Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle, and P. Desmet. 2023. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. Online. Available: http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/ (Accessed 2023).<br/>
  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. Jones, S.B., Jr., and N.C. Coile. 1988. The distribution of the vascular flora of Georgia. Dept. Botany, Univ. Georgia, Athens. 230 pp.
  6. 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.
  7. Native Plant Trust. 2023. Go Botany website. Online. Available: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org (accessed 2023).
  8. NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  9. Peck, J.H. 2011. History of Arkansas pteridophyte studies with a new annotated checklist and floristic analysis. Phytoneuron 38: 1-39.<br/>
  10. 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.
  11. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).