Rare fern confirmed on Suilven
Not long into 2024 I received a spreadsheet of interesting local plant records from Aberdeenshire BSBI members David Elston and his wife Judith Cox. They related to a week they had spent at Lochinver towards the end of May 2023.
This reminded me that, shortly after returning home last year, they had sent me two photographs of a fern Judith had noticed in a crevice high on the north face of Suilven (NC1518) on 25th May (photos 1-2). I sent them on to two fern experts, but now realise, belatedly, that I never heard back.
I have now had another look at the photographs and shown them to Gordon Rothero. We are certain that they are of the sterile fronds of parsley fern Cryptogramma crispa, a significant ‘new’ site for our rarest local fen.
The other local record
Parsley fern was first found in Assynt, somewhere on the northern side of Quinag, by veteran botanist ‘Archie’ (A.G.) Kenneth, on 20th July 1966. Unfortunately, his notes for the day, of which I have a copy (photo 3), just say ‘Quinag NC22’; his main interest was hawkweeds Hieracium spp.
It was, unsurprisingly, 36 years before it was re-discovered, by Claire Belshaw, on the eastern wall of the northern corrie on Quinag, Bathaich Cuinneige (NC2029), on 16th August 2002.
On 1st September of that year, Pat and I relocated it from her instructions, in crevices in parts of the Torridonian rock wall darkened by water, and photographed it (although I have not yet managed to locate the original photos). There were just two patches, not far apart, with five and ten plants. I do not think that anyone has seen it there since (I can supply further details if you would like to check it out).
Further afield
Parsley fern is a plant of acidic rocks and scree in montane areas, locally common in places further south (NBN map, photo 4), but thinning out in the north. We previously knew of just one other locality in West Sutherland, on the north side of a watershed pass, Bealach Easach, south of Ben Klibreck (NC5725/5825), where it was found by Gordon Rothero on 30th June 1998.
There are also three records from our adjoining vice-county, East Sutherland: on the north side of Ben More Assynt (NC32, J.K. Butler and M. Murray, 1986); on Carn Dearg (NC33, G. Routledge, 2021, not on the NBN map); and on the south side of Bealach Easach (NC52, M. Crawley, 2019). So, still a very scarce fern in Sutherland.
A very good find, not far off the path up the north side of Suilven, which is climbed by hundreds of people every year!
Ian M. Evans