Ophioglossum vulgatum

Ophioglossum vulgatum is a perennial species.^[4] The plant grows from a rhizome base to 10–20 cm tall (rarely to 30 cm).^{[citation needed]} It consists of a two-part frond, separated into a 4-12 cm rounded diamond-shaped leaf sheath and narrow branchless spore-bearing spike.^[5] Leaf fronds are ovate in shape and possess smooth toothless lobes.^[6] The spike has around 10-40 segments on each side.^{[citation needed]}

It is native to many regions with a wide scattered distribution: throughout temperate through tropical Africa and throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northeastern North America, temperate Asia, and Eurasia.^[2][7]

This small, hard-to-spot plant can occur singly in unimproved pastures, rock crevices and grassy path-sides, but also can occur in colonies of hundreds of plants in sand dunes.^{[citation needed]}

In Finland, unlike elsewhere, it grows on seashores, unlike other parts of the world where it tends to be a calciphile. Finland has fitting lime rich soil habitat sparsely, but the plant has found an equivalent living habitat from Finland's seashores affected by a post-glacial rebound: land just risen from the sea is often quite neutral and contains mineral salts in addition to being open and bare enough.^[5]

Ophioglossum vulgatum can reproduce vegetatively through new buds that sprout from the rhizome, which allows the plant to from patches.^[4] The plant can also reproduce sexually via spores.^[5]

This species is rare in most European countries. In Ukraine, there were recorded 280 loci: 152 before 1980, after 1980 – 120, as before and after 1980 – 8 locations.^[8]

Traditional European folk use of leaves and rhizomes as a poultice for wounds. This remedy was sometimes called the "Green Oil of Charity". A tea made from the leaves was used as a traditional European folk remedy for internal bleeding and vomiting.^[9]

Linnaeus described adder's-tongue with the binomial Ophioglossum vulgatum in his Species Plantarum of 1753.^[10]