Safeplants

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wallrue

Scientific Name: Asplenium ruta-muraria var. cryptolepis

Family: Aspleniaceae

Category: Fern

Growth: Forb/herb

Duration: Perennial

Other Names:

Wall-rue, also known as Wall Rue Spleenwort, is a small, delicate fern often found thriving in seemingly inhospitable environments.

This plant is commonly found growing on walls and in rock crevices, often in urban areas.

Wall-rue is widespread, found in Britain, Europe, Asia, and North America (including Appalachia and New England).
It commonly grows on limestone rocks, in crevices of old walls, and on bridges, especially in the mortar.
Its original, natural habitat includes stone or brick walls, even in urban areas.
It grows almost exclusively on vertical surfaces.

Wall-rue is a small, evergreen fern.
It is a tufted fern with triangular-ovate fronds and long stalks.
Fronds are branched and typically 1.5 to 7 inches (4 to 17 cm) long, reaching up to 12 cm.
Pinnae are no more than 5 on each side, with the lowest pinna itself pinnate, bearing up to 5 leaflets.
Leaflets are club-shaped with toothed margins and can be blueish-green or olive-green.

Wall-rue is considered the smallest native fern in the UK, known for its ability to thrive in the harsh environment of old mortar.

Some people believe that Wall-rue harms the rocks, walls and bridges where it lives, although this claim is not substantiated in the provided text.
It is sensitive to atmospheric pollution.

Rue-Leaved Saxifrage has leaves similar to Wall-Rue but is not related.
Other plants resemble rue, especially in leaf shape, such as goat's rue and meadow rue.