NG6027 : Adder's TongueAdder's TongueDespite appearances this plant is a fern. In Gaelic it is called
Lus na Nathrach, "the adder's herb". There are two species:
Ophioglossum vulgatum and the similar but smaller
O. azoricum (formerly
O. lusitanicum). The checklist of the plants of Skye and Raasay updated to 1979 records the Adder's Tongue only in myriad
NG51, around Elgol and Loch Slapin, but sightings in Scalpay are likely to be uncommon as the island is so little visited.
For an example of the smaller species in Unst, Shetland see
HP5703 : Small Adder's Tongue (Ophioglossum azoricum), Lund.