Woodsia alpina(Bolton) Gray

alpine woodsia

WFO wfo-0001109457 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Woodsia alpina, photographed by Kent P. McFarland
fig. a Kent P. McFarland, CC0 1.0 / 2021-10-06 / obs. 162248600
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Reuven Martin
fig. b Reuven Martin, CC0 1.0 / obs. 154712709
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Алексей Ябс
fig. c Алексей Ябс, CC0 1.0 / obs. 145797809
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Алексей Ябс
fig. d Алексей Ябс, CC0 1.0 / obs. 83986281
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Allan Harris
fig. e Allan Harris, CC0 1.0 / obs. 60000466
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Алексей Ябс
fig. f Алексей Ябс, CC0 1.0 / obs. 145797599
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Алексей Ябс
fig. g Алексей Ябс, CC0 1.0 / obs. 94283281
Woodsia alpina, photographed by Rose Zappa
fig. h Rose Zappa, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 91315033

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 56 botanical countries

Regions where Woodsia alpina is native: Iran, Japan, Kamchatka, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kuril Is., Mongolia, North Caucasus, Primorye, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, West Siberia, Pakistan, West Himalaya, Austria, Belarus, Central European Russia, Czechia-Slovakia, East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Alaska, British Columbia, Greenland, Labrador, Maine, Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, New Brunswick, New York, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan, Vermont, Yukon IranJapanKamchatkaKazakhstanKhabarovskKrasnoyarskMongoliaNorth CaucasusPrimoryeTibetTranscaucasusTürkiyeWest SiberiaPakistanWest HimalayaAustriaBelarusCentral European RussiaCzechia-SlovakiaEast European RussiaFinlandFranceGermanyIcelandItalyNorth European RussiaNorthwest European RussiaNorwayNW. Balkan Pen.PolandRomaniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineAlaskaBritish ColumbiaGreenlandLabradorMaineManitobaMichiganMinnesotaNew BrunswickNew YorkNewfoundlandNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOntarioQuébecSaskatchewanVermontYukon
Native distribution of Woodsia alpina, 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.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Austria AUT EUROPE
Belarus BLR
Central European Russia RUC
Czechia-Slovakia CZE
East European Russia RUE
Finland FIN
France FRA
Germany GER
Great Britain GRB
Iceland ICE
Italy ITA
North European Russia RUN
Northwest European Russia RUW
Norway NOR
NW. Balkan Pen. YUG
Poland POL
Romania ROM
Spain SPA
Sweden SWE
Switzerland SWI
Ukraine UKR
Alaska ASK NORTHERN AMERICA
British Columbia BRC
Greenland GNL
Labrador LAB
Maine MAI
Manitoba MAN
Michigan MIC
Minnesota MIN
New Brunswick NBR
New York NWY
Newfoundland NFL
Northwest Territories NWT
Nova Scotia NSC
Nunavut NUN
Ontario ONT
Québec QUE
Saskatchewan SAS
Vermont VER
Yukon YUK
Iran IRN ASIA-TEMPERATE
Japan JAP
Kamchatka KAM
Kazakhstan KAZ
Khabarovsk KHA
Krasnoyarsk KRA
Kuril Is. KUR
Mongolia MON
North Caucasus NCS
Primorye PRM
Tibet CHT
Transcaucasus TCS
Türkiye TUR
West Siberia WSB
Pakistan PAK ASIA-TROPICAL
West Himalaya WHM

Not drawn on the map: Kuril Is., Great Britain. We hold no public-domain boundary for these regions, so they are 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 26 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 alpinum Bolton
  • Acrostichum hyperboreum Lilj.
  • Ceterach alpina DC.; Lam. & DC.
  • Ceterach alpinum (Bolton) DC.
  • Ceterach hyperboreum (Lilj.) Clairv.
  • Polypodium alpinum (Bolton) With.
  • Polypodium arvonicum Wither.
  • Polypodium hyperboreum (Lilj.) Sw.
  • Trichocyclus hyperboreus (Lilj.) Dulac
  • Woodsia alpina Tausch
  • Woodsia alpina subsp. bellii (G.Lawson) Á.Löve & D.Löve
  • Woodsia alpina var. alpina
  • Woodsia alpina var. bellii (G.Lawson) G.Lawson
  • Woodsia belli (Lawson) Porsild
  • Woodsia glabella var. bellii G.Lawson
  • Woodsia himalaica Ching & S.K.Wu
  • Woodsia hyperborea R.Br.
  • Woodsia hyperborea var. alpina (Bolton) Jess.
  • Woodsia hyperborea var. arvonica (With.) Milde
  • Woodsia ilvensis subsp. alpina (Bolton) Asch.
  • Woodsia ilvensis subsp. arvonica (With.) Milde
  • Woodsia ilvensis subsp. hyperborea (Lilj.) Hartm.
  • Woodsia ilvensis var. alpina (Bolton) Bab.
  • Woodsia ilvensis var. alpina (Bolton) Watt.

and 2 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.