Description: A complex of several similar plants which differ from the common male fern in having a black spot at the junction of the pinna with the main leaf rachis (central midrib). Some forms eg morph. cambrensis are very scaly - hence the English name. The plants reproduce asexually.

All names: Dryopteris affinis (Lowe) Fraser-Jenkins; Dryopteris borreri auct.; Dryopteris pseudomas (Wollaston) Holub & Pouzar; Dryopteris filix-mas var. borreri Newm.

Distribution Map from NBN: Dryopteris affinis at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Dryopteris affinis at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.