hart's-tongue

American  

[hahrts-tuhng] / ˈhɑrtsˌtʌŋ /

Or harts-tongue

noun

1. a fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium, having long, leathery, wavy-edged leaves.

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hart's-tongue British  

noun

1. an evergreen Eurasian fern, Asplenium scolopendrium, with narrow undivided fronds bearing rows of sori: family Polypodiaceae

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Etymology

Origin of hart's-tongue

First recorded in 1275–1325, hart's-tongue is from Middle English hertis tonge. See hart, 's ¹, tongue

Example Sentences

And it might be that the ferns would be dead—all but the hart's-tongue; which, though moisture-loving, can yet, like the athlete, train itself to endure and abide thirsty and unslaked.

From Bog-Myrtle and Peat Tales Chiefly of Galloway Gathered from the Years 1889 to 1895 by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

The forget-me-nots and the hart’s-tongue, the beeches and the firs, listened to the singing.

From Bevis The Story of a Boy by Jefferies, Richard

Near by, within a palisade, is the old castle well, with hart's-tongue ferns growing on the damp brick lining.

From What to See in England A Guide to Places of Historic Interest, Natural Beauty or Literary Association by Home, Gordon

Tree-fern and hart's-tongue show verdant fronds, flushed with autumnal red or gold, and a dense growth of starry flowers suggests a bed of many-coloured tulips.

From Through the Malay Archipelago by Richings, Emily

There was a lining of green moss near the top, and nearer still the hart's-tongue fern.

From Jude the Obscure by Hardy, Thomas