Ascension Island Government

Conservation > Discover > Flora and Fauna > Purple Fern

Purple Fern

Ptisana purpurascens

Type: Endemic Plant | Status: Critically Endangered | Nativeness: Endemic

Description

This imposing fern is the largest of Ascension Island’s endemic plant species, with dark green, twice pinnate fronds up to 1m in length. The stalks (or ‘petioles’) of the fronds are purplish in colour which gives the species its scientific name. It is only found on the damp, mist-drenched slopes around the summit of Green Mountain.

Action Plan

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