Wall Rue, Lance asplenium
Asplenium ruta-muraria
Family: Polypodiaceae
What it is like
Asplenium ruta-muraria is an evergreen Fern growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in leaf all year, and the seeds ripen from July to October. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.1
Where it is found
Old walls and basic rocks in hilly areas.
Most of Europe, including Britain, Mediterranean, N. and S. Asia to the Himalayas, E. North America.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
The fronds are astringent, deobstruent, emmenagogue, expectorant and ophthalmic. A distilled water made from the fronds has proved of benefit in the treatment of many eye complaints. The plant is also considered to be useful in the treatment of coughs and ruptures in children. It was at one time used as a herbal remedy for rickets and its tannin content renders it suitable for stopping bleeding from small wounds. The fronds are harvested in late spring and dried for later use.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Deobstruent: Clears obstructions from the natural ducts of the body.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Requires a well-drained position and lots of old mortar rubble in the soil. Requires a humid atmosphere and some shade. A good plant for growing on a shady part of an old dry-stone or brick wall, also succeeding in full sun. A very ornamental fern, it is very tough but slow to establish. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.
Propagating it: Spores - best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Germinates in spring. Spring sown spores germinate in 1 - 3 months at 15°c. Pot on small clumps of plantlets into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse. Keep the plants humid until they are well established. Once the plants are 15cm or more tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in the spring. Division in spring.
Best place to grow: North Wall. In. East Wall. In. West Wall. In.
Habit: Fern
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable. Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase.