Ascension Island parsley fern

The Anogramma ascensionis, known as the Ascension Island parsley fern, is a species of fern that is part of the family Pteridaceae this type of fern is, found in the Ascension Island, a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Ascension Island parsley fern has delicate yellow-green leaves which looks similar to the small sprigs of parsley.

According to Wikipedia, information the fern was first recorded in 1842 by an amateur botanist, Dr A.B. Curror, and then officially described and named by Joseph Dalton Hooker after a visit he made to the island in 1843.

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The Parsley fern was declared extinct in 2003 but was, rediscovered during a routine plant survey, by a team from Ascension Island’s Conservation Department.

Ascension Island parsley fern is a sensitive plant, and there is a suggestion that the best chance of successful cultivation was to get them into sterile conditions.

So the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a partner in the Ascension project, they agreed to help.

Following the difficult mission to get the spores to the Royal Botanic Gardens, it has been, said that Dr Viswambharan Sarasan and Katie Baker of RBG Kew’s CBU have managed to rear a large number of young sporelings, which are flourishing well in cultivation.