Fee's Spleenwort
Asplenium feei
Fee's Spleenwort is a small, delicate fern species characterized by its narrow, lance-shaped fronds that typically grow 10-30 cm in length with distinctive linear sori (spore-bearing structures) along the undersides. This epiphytic fern plays an important ecological role in tropical forest ecosystems by contributing to canopy biodiversity and providing microhabitats for small invertebrates while helping to regulate moisture levels in its immediate environment.
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Polypodiopsida
Order
Polypodiales
Family
Aspleniaceae
Genus
Asplenium
Fee's Spleenwort belongs to the family Aspleniaceae, order Polypodiales, within the Polypodiopsida class.
Species Profile
Fee's Spleenwort is a small, delicate fern species characterized by its narrow, lance-shaped fronds that typically grow 10-30 cm in length with distinctive linear sori (spore-bearing structures) along the undersides. This epiphytic fern plays an important ecological role in tropical forest ecosystems by contributing to canopy biodiversity and providing microhabitats for small invertebrates while helping to regulate moisture levels in its immediate environment.
Fee's Spleenwort faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from urban development and agricultural expansion in its limited range. The species' restricted distribution to specific rocky habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to localized threats and environmental changes.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Fee's Spleenwort typically grows as an epiphyte on tree trunks and branches in humid tropical and subtropical forests, particularly favoring the bark of mature trees in cloud forests and montane rainforests. The species requires consistently moist conditions and is often found in areas with high humidity and filtered sunlight beneath the forest canopy.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Endangered
Fee's Spleenwort faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from urban development and agricultural expansion in its limited range. The species' restricted distribution to specific rocky habitats makes it particularly vulnerable to localized threats and environmental changes.
Agricultural expansion and land conversion
Habitat loss from urban development
Small population size and restricted range
Climate change affecting moisture regimes
Rock quarrying and mining activities
Community Sightings
Report a sightingNo community sightings yet. Be the first to report!
Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Fee's Spleenwort (Asplenium feei). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/fees-spleenwort