Hart’s Tongue Fern Leaf | Asplenium scolopendrium

What Is Hart’s Tongue Fern?

Hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) is an evergreen fern with long, glossy, undivided leaves shaped like a deer’s tongue, which gives the plant its name. It grows in shady, moist woodlands, ravines and on old stone walls across Europe, and rarer varieties are found in North America.

Unlike most ferns, its fronds are not feathery but smooth and strap-like, and they stay green all year. The leaves are collected, dried and cut for use as an herb. Hart’s tongue fern is mentioned in old European herbals and has a long history as a household herbal tea in folk tradition.

Today the dried leaf is used by herbalists, herbal tea collectors and people interested in traditional European plants. Brewed as a tea, it gives a light green cup with a mild, slightly earthy taste. It can be enjoyed on its own or combined with gentle herbs such as mint, lemon balm or chamomile.

The fern grows best on limestone and in cool, humid places such as shaded ravines and old wells. On the underside of each frond, the spore cases form neat parallel lines, like the bones of a fish, which makes the plant easy to recognize.

Our hart’s tongue fern leaf contains only the dried leaves with nothing added. It is sold by weight, from small packs to bulk.