#polystichum

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 6 February 2026

An evergreen fern forming a large clump, Polystichum munitum (western sword fern, giant holly fern, sword fern) makes a great addition to a woodland garden. It thrives in a shaded, fertile, moist, humus-rich soil but the crowns need to be protected from excessive winter wet.

Jill Raggett

[dat-aster]

Polystichum lemonii growing on a serpentine outcropping in the North Cascades

[colorsoutofearth]

Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) and Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), Olympic National Park

Photo by Jack Dykinga

[drhoz]

#1905 - Polystichum vestitum - Prickly Shield Fern

Also known as pūnui. Polystichum refers to the parallel rows of spore cases on the underside of the fronds, and vestitum (Latin for "clothed") denotes the dense cover of the scales on its leaf stalks. Fronds grow up to 600mm in length.

An evergreen or semi-green, cold-tolerant fern most common on New Zealand’s South Island, and a wide spread of Subantarctic islands. 

In the northern part of its range P. vestitum is confined to montane regions or where temperature inversions keep the climate cold, but further south it can grow right down to the coast. Found in exposed habitats, such as forest margins, gulley floors and tussock grasslands, but it also commonly extends into forest in colder, wetter parts of New Zealand. On Macquarie Island it dominates the fernbrake communities, but is severely threatened by rabbits. 

These ones were high in the middle of the South Island near Aoraki Mount Cook. It can be grown in cultivation, quite easily, but it slow to establish. Insect predators of the fern include the the tiny caterpillar of the "pūnui spore-eater", the "pale fern looper", and the "zigzag fern looper". 

[californiabotanycertification]

Polystichum imbricans, Narrowleaf Sword Fern

Polystichum imbricans, Narrowleaf Sword Fern

perennial fern

KEY

terrestrial plant with no flowers or bulbs sporangia present

Herbs reproducing by spores released directly from sporangia, the sporangia variously located [on abaxial leaf  face, [LYCOPHYTES and FERNS]

Plant terrestrial l; leaf 1-2 pinnate,; sporangia borne on aerial portion of leaf

Leaves all alike or nearly so, the fertile [sporangium-bearing] blades very similar in size and shape to sterile blades sporangia borne on underside of leaf  blade, new leaves generally coiled, unrolling as they develop

Sori borne away from margin on underside of leaf  or leaflet, sporangia clustered in distinct sori; indusia present

Sori ± round

Blade without needle-like hairs

Indusium peltate  or round-reniform, attached ± in center of sorus , generally present and readily observable in late-season specimens ..... DRYOPTERIDACEAE

- Indusium peltate , centrally attached, without a sinus

- Veins generally free, rarely ± joined; leaf 1–3-pinnate, teeth, generally including bristle-like tips, < 4 mm ..... POLYSTICHUM

-Leaf generally 1-pinnate, rarely to partly 2-pinnate; pinnae generally simple, ± entire to serrate, in Polystichum kruckebergii sometimes 1-lobe

Leaf 10–120(200) cm; pinnae simple

Proximal pinnae ovate to lanceolate , ± = to ± 2/3 longest; stipe generally 1/5–1/2 blade

Stipe base scales lanceolate, ± 2–3 mm wide, those above proximal pinnae generally < 1 mm wide, falling early; pinnae ± in 1 plane or not; indusium ± entire to toothed ..... P. imbricans

DESCRIPTION

Rhizome: generally suberect to erect, often stout

Stipe/petiole: generally 1/5--1/2 of blade Stout, firm, generally densely scaly, base scales +- 2--3 mm wide, lanceolate, those above proximal pinnae generally, ×-section with many round vascular strands in an arc.

Blade: narrow-lanceolate to -elliptic, 1-pinnate,, proximal pinnae reduced or not, thin to leathery, scaly, veins generally free, rarely +- jointed; pinna bases often wider acroscopically; teeth, generally including bristle-like tip

Sporangia: sori round; indusium peltate [0 or reniform], sinus 0. indusium +- entire to toothed

SOURCES AND MORE INFORMATION

https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=17681#null

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=POIM

https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=10784

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/58763-Polystichum-imbricans

https://calphotos.berkeley.edu

https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFidZIrKxT/

https://wildflowersearch.org/search

Jepson Herbarium Youtube Polystichum Munitum

[vandaliatraveler]

After the last leaves of October have fallen, the stone-faced ghosts of the Monongahela River’s industrial past, draped in moss-and-lichen cloaks, reveal themselves to those who are willing to notice them. In an abandoned stone quarry along the Mon River Trail, broken millstones speak muted testimony to the long-silent engines that fired the industrial revolution and poisoned the ground around them. Now, almost a century and a half after the stone was roughly hewn from the steep bluffs along the river and bent to man’s will, nature has reclaimed the quarry for herself, a slow, methodical march won by the most delicate of organisms, including bluntleaf waterleaf (Hydrophyllum canadense), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), white bear sedge (Carex albursina), and ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron).

[furshrimps]

Let me know if I should start a plant dedicated blog

...instead of cluttering my pet blog so much. I'm really getting into that plant thing and the drama some plants go through, so if you'd rather not be bothered with lots of plant stuff on my pet blog let me know! 😀

For those interested, however, here goes:

Calathea update: The Fusion Whites seem to get adjusted to the lower humidity, but not without losses. The leaves with lots of white are not doing so well and likely will be lost, but the others seem fine now. The less-white one is growing two completely new leaves from the rhizome, it seems (you can't know how relieved I am!). The whiter one has a single healthy leaf left and still hasn't decided what it wants to do with the second sprouting leaf (it lost the first one during the first days in lower humidity).

Not technically Calatheas, but I bought two Ctenanthe Golden Mosaics online in the last few weeks. One is from a shop and it's growing a new leaf now, the other one is from a private listing and just arrived this week, but so far it's looking good. Usually I don't buy the same plant twice, but the second one was so beautiful I mulled over it a couple weeks and then decided to just buy it 😂

Another exception is a second mini Stromanthe sanguinea Triostar that I bought to replace the mini Calatheas I moved to my desk because they were not doing all that great in the north window shelf (all are doing so much better now! Actually growing 'n all that). My first Triostar in that shelf is growing nicely, so I'm thinking another one will probably do great there as well. I also got a fern (not quite sure what type, but I love them) that I bought for the same reason.

My first Triostar on the left, the new one on the right!

I'd actually have more to tell, but I'm getting really tired now and it's late... 😂

G'night you great people! 😘

[mossofthewoodsjewelry]

Christmas Fern fiddlehead (Polystichum acrostichoides)