Lemon-scented Fern - Oreopteris limbosperma

Erect yellowish-green fronds, 30 to 100 cm. Fronds widest at centre, very narrow at base. Once-pinnate, pinnae broad-based, blunt, margins untoothed. Sori small, at outer edges of segments. Mildly lemon-scented.

Dryopteris species.  

The sori are more or less round and close to the leaf margins; the cover or 'indusium' is very flimsy and soon withers away. The pinnae decrease in size down the stem towards the base. 

The lemon scent can be very faint.

Records from this species should be confirmed by a County Recorder for botany.  It is on the VC55 Rare Plant Register, and therefore a specimen should not be taken.  Take detailed field photos and submit to NatureSpot as soon as possible; and if you think you have found it in a new location, inform the County Recorder as soon you can. (RPR)

Damp places in woodland, heath and grassland on acid soils

Spores ripe in July and August.

Perennial.

Widespread though not particularly common in Britain, and scarcer in parts of central and eastern England.

Local and quite uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi & Evans, 1988) it was found in 5 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current VC55 Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is described as scarce, damp places in woodland and heath-grassland, on acid soils.

It is on the local VC55 Rare Plant Register  (Hall and Woodward, 2022) as Locally Scarce,  Recent records are mainly from Charnwood Forest (Bradgate Park, Ulverscroft, Charnwood Lodge, Beacon Hill, etc).