THIS IS A DRAFT
The species account below is an early version, drafted around 2003. It has been provided here to aid understanding, but please be aware it may not fully tally with the up-to-date map and statistics shown below.
Dryopteris affinis
Scaly Male Fern
Species Details
Scaly Male Fern is an occasional native perennial of deciduous woods, coniferous plantations, rocky hillsides and moorlands generally, but not exclusively, on acidic soils. It occurs throughout our area though it is more common in the north-western corner becoming rarer towards the east and south. All three British subspecies, as in Stace (1997), have been recorded though there are very few records of each due to the problems of distinguishing them. Subspecies Xxaffinis has been recorded four times (Lanehead Road SK0080 vc58, Ogden Clough SK0198 vc58 ???? SK1?7? & Birchen Bank SK1098). Subspecies Xxcambrensis has been noted twice (Tintwistle SK0298 vc58 & Heyden Bridge SE0900 vc58); and subspecies Xxborreri four times (Macclesfield Road SK0081 vc58, Ogden Bank SK0199 vc58, ???? SK1?7? & Tissington Trail SK1657).