Blechnum cartilagineum

Gristle Fern at Fisher, ACT

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Identification history

Blechnum cartilagineum	22 May 2025	Tapirlord
Blechnum nudum	21 May 2025	CarbonAI
Unverified	21 May 2025	DavidMcKay

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3 comments

DavidMcKay wrote:

22 May 2025

I was surprised to see the fern in this place. It is in a small gully, but it appears generally a drier area and as the map shows, there is not much shade. Blechnum nudum is used as a garden plant and this spot is only a few hundred meters from adjacent suburbs. I assume spores could easily travel that far in a breeze.

Tapirlord wrote:

22 May 2025

A known site for Gristle fern first recorded here in 2024. My suspicion is that this one germinated during the wet years and is now 'feeling the burn' of an urban nature reserve far away from its usual lush understory. I can't imagine that the plants persist here long.

dcnicholls wrote:

27 May 2025

Oddly, B. cartilagineum has been recorded in the Black Mountain reserve, just off Belconnen Way, too. I found a specimen in a gully on Aranda Hill, under a fallen log, in a clear path below power lines. Also Polystichum proliferum in the same spot. This was back in the 1970s. A very hardy fern.

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Location information

Maps Mount Taylor
Places Fisher, ACT

Sighting information

2 Abundance
DavidMcKay Recorded by
Collections
DavidMcKay NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Ferns and Clubmosses Plants

Species information

Blechnum cartilagineum Scientific name
Gristle Fern Common name
Sensitive
Rare or uncommon native
Non-invasive or negligible
118 images trained Machine learning
Synonyms
Oceaniopteris cartilaginea

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania