Asplenium rhizophyllum, the American Walking Fern, is a rare, low lying fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

 native to North America. It is a close relative of Asplenium ruprechtii

Asplenium ruprechtii

Asplenium ruprechtii, which goes by the common name Asian Walking Fern, is a rare, hardy, low lying fern native to East Asia. It is a close relative of Asplenium rhizophyllum which is found in North America and also goes by the common name of walking fern...

(syn: Camptosorus sibiricus) which is found in East Asia

East Asia

East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

 and also goes by the common name of walking fern.

Description

The name walking fern was derived from the way the fern spreads. The underside of each leaf contain sori, and when the tip of the leaf touches the ground, new plantlets sprout, creating a "walking" effect.

The fern grows to a height of 15 cm (6 inches). Its leaves are evergreen

Evergreen

In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...

, linear to lanceolate in shape

Leaf shape

In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...

, and range from 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) in length. Sori are distributed along the veins on the underside of the leaves. The plant is green in colour, with red/brown patches at the base of the leaves. These hardy plants can be found in shady spots of limestone ledges and limy forest places.

Sources

United States department of agriculture

NatureServe Explorer

Hardy Fern Library

Daves Gardens

Connecticut Botanical Society

Plant Delights Nursery

http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/abstracts/botany/Asplenium_rhizophyllum.pdf