Ebony Spleenwort

Ebony spleenwort, Asplenium platyneuron, is a small fern of the family Aspleniaceae native to eastern North America, commonly found growing from rocky outcrops, stone walls and thin soil over limestone or other base-rich rock. Its dark, glossy, purplish-black leaf stalks, the source of its common name, contrast with its narrow, once-divided fronds, and the species displays dimorphic fronds, with taller, more upright fertile fronds bearing spores distinct from its shorter, spreading sterile fronds.