WALKING FERN

fern that is a member either of the species Camptosorus rhizophyllus, of eastern North America, or of C. sibiricus, of eastern Asia, the only two species of the genus, in the family Aspleniaceae. The common name derives from the fact that new plantlets sprout wherever the parent plant's arching leaves touch the ground. The plant's leaves are evergreen, undivided, and slightly leathery; they are triangular in shape, tapering to a thin point. Spore-bearing structures are in clusters along the veins. Walking ferns are hardy plants that inhabit shady areas of limestone ledges and limy wooded areas.