Dryopteris villarii, commonly known as the rigid buckler fern,^[2] is a perennial leptosporangiate fern native to Central and South East Europe as well as the Western Caucasus. It was first described in 1915.^[1]

Quick Facts Dryopteris villarii, Scientific classification ...

Dryopteris villarii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Polypodiineae
Family:	Dryopteridaceae
Genus:	Dryopteris
Species:	D. villarii
Binomial name
Dryopteris villarii (Bellardi) Woyn. ex Schinz & Thell.
Synonyms[1]
Nephrodium villarii (Bellardi) Beck. Polypodium villarii (Bellardi)

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Dryopteris villarii typically reaches heights around 30 to 60 cm.^[3] The rigid, leathery fronds are of a matt glaucous to dark green colour, with scaly reddish petioles and rachis.^[4][5] Fronds may present tufted, erect or spreading.^[5] The short bipinnate leaflets are slightly dentate and narrowly oblong-lanceolate, attenuating closer to the base, with yellowish aromatic glands on either side.^[3][4][5] Rhizomes are far creeping and adventitious, horizontal to ascending.^[5] Sori between 0.7 mm to 1 mm, usually with glandular indusium and arranged in two rows along the midrib, usually four to six per row. They do not cover the apex.^[3][4][5]

Dryopteris villarii appears within dolomite and limestone pavements, scree, cliffsides, rocky outcrops, scrub and non-alpine and non-saline grasslands.^[5][6] It is found between 500 m to 2000 m.^[4] It is tolerant of any soil type although prefers alkaline.^[6]