Phyllitis scolopendrium - Langue de Cerf, Scolopendre, Herbe à rate, Herbe hépatique

Asplenium scolopendrium, the hart's tongue fern or hart's tongue, is recognisable by its entire fronds, long, flexible and glossy, very different from the finely cut foliage of other ferns. It forms a very fresh green rosette that remains decorative all year round. Very hardy, this variety simply dresses woodland, the foot of slightly damp walls, a small shady courtyard or shady rockeries. Its long ribbon-like fronds contrast with the finer foliage of other shade plants.

This species belongs to the family Aspleniaceae. It is also called hart's tongue, hart's tongue fern, Asplenium scolopendrium or hart's tongue fern. Its main botanical synonyms are Phyllitis scolopendrium, Scolopendrium lingua, Scolopendrium officinale and Scolopendrium officinarum. Its natural range covers much of the temperate Northern Hemisphere: Europe, western and eastern Asia, North Africa, and several regions of North America down to Mexico. In Europe, it grows in ravine forests, on shady slopes, along streams and in crevices of limestone rocks. It also colonises old walls, wells and ancient masonry where the joints remain damp. It is a perennial fern: its short rootstock remains in place for several years. Its growth is slow to moderate. Its vegetation reaches 40 to 60 cm in height and 45 to 60 cm in spread. The fronds are most often 30 to 50 cm long, sometimes more in a cool, sheltered spot. They emerge tightly at the centre of the rosette, first curled into croziers, then straighten before arching. Their lamina, thick and slightly leathery, is entire. It takes the form of a long lanceolate ribbon, pointed at the tip and heart-shaped at the base, with smooth or slightly undulate margins. They are light green to deep green, with a glossy surface that reflects light well. The petiole is short, brownish and covered with brown scales near the rootstock. The roots, fibrous and fairly thick, penetrate damp crevices. The foliage is evergreen in winter. This fern produces neither flowers nor fruit. The spores form under the mature fronds, in sori, along long oblique lines arranged on either side of the midrib. These sori turn reddish-brown when ripe. Their arrangement recalls the legs of a centipede, an old name for millipedes, and explains the epithet scolopendrium. The name Asplenium refers to the ancient use of certain ferns against spleen ailments. This species has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

The hart's tongue fern is lovely at the foot of deciduous shrubs, on a cool slope or in a north-facing rockery. Planted in small groups along a shady wall, it forms distinct rosettes and does not spread by offshoots. Its fronds stand out among the cut leaves of Epimedium ‘Amber Queen’, topped with amber-yellow flowers in spring. The large variegated leaves of Hosta ‘Emily Dickinson’ create another contrast. Polygonatum falcatum ‘Variegatum’ enriches the ensemble with its arching stems and white bell flowers. At the front, Heuchera ‘Ginger Ale’ displays silvery orange foliage. These four plants form a shade bed with very complementary silhouettes.