Conservation challenges of Woodsia ilvensis in the UK

The Oblong Woodsia (Woodsia ilvensis) is a small fern that would have been more widespread in Britain when the ice was retreating over 10 000 years ago. With a warmer climate it has become much less common. Because of its rarity, Victorian collectors in the 19th Century gathered nearly every plant they could find. There are now fewer than 100 wild clumps Britain. In some formerly well-known localities the fern has long since gone. To encourage recovery, there have been reintroductions to several locations where this fern was once found.