A large genus of ferns known as spleenworts, with linear spore clusters and found worldwide in diverse habitats from rock crevices to tree trunks.
From Greek 'a-' (without) + 'splen' (spleen). Medieval herbalists named them 'spleenwort' because they believed the ferns could treat spleen ailments, though this had no medical basis.
The spleenwort ferns are incredibly adaptable survivors—they grow in seemingly impossible places like sheer rock faces and deep caves because they need almost no soil, making them pioneers that colonize bare rock before any other plants.
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