Asplenium adiantum-nigrumL.

black spleenwortspreading spleenwort

WFO wfo-0001109303 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by Zeke Marshall
fig. a Zeke Marshall, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-06-03 / obs. 203178008
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by Zeke Marshall
fig. b Zeke Marshall, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 203177069
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by Юрий Данилевский (Yuriy Danilevsky)
fig. c Юрий Данилевский (Yuriy Danilevsky), CC BY 4.0 / obs. 204686698
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by ahabo
fig. d ahabo, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 201076744
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by Stephen James McWilliam
fig. e Stephen James McWilliam, CC0 1.0 / obs. 201825253
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by goldfjnch
fig. f goldfjnch, CC0 1.0 / obs. 199129167
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by Марина Садыкова
fig. g Марина Садыкова, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 194228809
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, photographed by Andrew Skotnicki
fig. h Andrew Skotnicki, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 194673476

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 71 botanical countries

Regions where Asplenium adiantum-nigrum is native: Algeria, Azores, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Madeira, Morocco, Réunion, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia, Afghanistan, China North-Central, China South-Central, Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon-Syria, North Caucasus, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sinai, Taiwan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Yemen, East Himalaya, Pakistan, West Himalaya, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corse, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, Føroyar, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Krym, Netherlands, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Arizona, Colorado, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Utah, Hawaii AlgeriaCameroonCape ProvincesChadEritreaEthiopiaFree StateKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLesothoMoroccoRwandaTanzaniaTunisiaAfghanistanChina North-CentralChina South-CentralCyprusIranLebanon-SyriaNorth CaucasusPalestineSaudi ArabiaSinaiTaiwanTibetTranscaucasusTürkiyeYemenEast HimalayaPakistanWest HimalayaAlbaniaAustriaBelgiumBulgariaCorseCzechia-SlovakiaDenmarkFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandItalyKrymNetherlandsNorthwest European RussiaNorwayNW. Balkan Pen.PolandPortugalRomaniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTürkiye-in-EuropeUkraineArizonaColoradoMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestUtahHawaii AzoresCanary Is.Cape VerdeMadeiraRéunionFøroyar
Native distribution of Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Albania ALB EUROPE
Austria AUT
Belgium BGM
Bulgaria BUL
Corse COR
Czechia-Slovakia CZE
Denmark DEN
Føroyar FOR
France FRA
Germany GER
Great Britain GRB
Greece GRC
Hungary HUN
Ireland IRE
Italy ITA
Krym KRY
Netherlands NET
Northwest European Russia RUW
Norway NOR
NW. Balkan Pen. YUG
Poland POL
Portugal POR
Romania ROM
Spain SPA
Sweden SWE
Switzerland SWI
Türkiye-in-Europe TUE
Ukraine UKR
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Azores AZO
Cameroon CMN
Canary Is. CNY
Cape Provinces CPP
Cape Verde CVI
Chad CHA
Eritrea ERI
Ethiopia ETH
Free State OFS
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Lesotho LES
Madeira MDR
Morocco MOR
Réunion REU
Rwanda RWA
Tanzania TAN
Tunisia TUN
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
Cyprus CYP
Iran IRN
Lebanon-Syria LBS
North Caucasus NCS
Palestine PAL
Saudi Arabia SAU
Sinai SIN
Taiwan TAI
Tibet CHT
Transcaucasus TCS
Türkiye TUR
Yemen YEM
Arizona ARI NORTHERN AMERICA
Colorado COL
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Northwest MXN
Utah UTA
East Himalaya EHM ASIA-TROPICAL
Pakistan PAK
West Himalaya WHM
Hawaii HAW PACIFIC

Not drawn on the map: Great Britain. We hold no public-domain boundary for this region, so it is listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 68 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Acrostichum pulchrum L.
  • Adiantum argutum Kaulf.
  • Asplenium adiantum-lanceolatum Hoffm.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. argutum (Kaulf.) Reichst.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. bipinnatum Wirtg.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. deltoideum Maire
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. lancifolium (Moench ex Heufl.) Reichst.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. pinnatum Wirtg.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. serpentinoides (Christ) Reichst.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum f. tripinnatum Wirtg.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum prol. obtusum (Kit. ex Willd.) Rouy
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum subsp. nigrum (Lam.) Heufl.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum subsp. nigrum Hegi
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum subsp. obtusum (Kit. ex Willd.) Schidlay
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum subsp. yuanum (Ching) Reichst., Viane, Rasbach & Schneller
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. adiantum-nigrum
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. argutum (Kaulf. ) Heufl.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. corunnense Christ
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. gaudichaudii Hook.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. incisum (Opiz) Milde
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. lancifolium (Moench) Heufl.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. litardierei Rouy
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. nigrum Lam. ex Heufl.
  • Asplenium adiantum-nigrum var. obtusum (Kit.) Milde

and 44 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.