OregonFlora: Polystichum imbricans vs. Polystichum californicum

	Polystichum imbricans	Polystichum californicum
	imbricate sword fern	California sword fern
Stems		erect or ascending.
Leaves		robust to approximately 70 cm; bulbils absent.
Petiole		up to 33% leaf length; scales long, brown and densely chaffy proximally, becoming smaller and sparser distally.
Blades		1-pinnate- pinnatifid, narrowly lanceolate, narrowed apically, not much narrowed to the base; up to 55 × 10 cm, filiform microscales abundant on abaxial veins; sparse to glabrescent adaxially.
Pinnae		lanceolate, falcate; to approximately 9 × 1.5 cm; borne in 1 plane, overlapping or not; pinnatifid to about 50% of pinna width in mid-region with sinuses progressively reduced distally; distal lobes in the form of a triangular tooth with an incurved apical spine; proximal pinnules oblong with a terminal and lateral spines incurved or spreading, acroscopic lobe enlarged, nearly incised to costa on proximal pinnae.
Sori		with ciliate indusial margins.
2n		=164.

	Polystichum imbricans	Polystichum californicum
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	[Species with one variety or subspecies in Oregon.]	Cliffs and shaded rocky sites. 0–1100 m. Casc, CR. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native. Rarely, P. andersonii may lack bulbils, in which case it will key out here.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 75 Duncan Thomas
Sibling taxa	P. andersonii, P. andersonii x Polystichum munitum, P. californicum, P. californicum x Polystichum munitum, P. kruckebergii, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. munitum, P. scopulinum	P. andersonii, P. andersonii x Polystichum munitum, P. californicum x Polystichum munitum, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. munitum, P. scopulinum
Subordinate taxa	P. imbricans ssp. imbricans
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Polystichum imbricans

Polystichum californicum

imbricate sword fern

California sword fern

Stems

erect or ascending.

Leaves

robust to approximately 70 cm; bulbils absent.

Petiole

up to 33% leaf length;

scales long, brown and densely chaffy proximally, becoming smaller and sparser distally.

Blades

1-pinnate- pinnatifid, narrowly lanceolate, narrowed apically, not much narrowed to the base; up to 55 × 10 cm, filiform microscales abundant on abaxial veins; sparse to glabrescent adaxially.

Pinnae

lanceolate, falcate; to approximately 9 × 1.5 cm; borne in 1 plane, overlapping or not; pinnatifid to about 50% of pinna width in mid-region with sinuses progressively reduced distally;

distal lobes in the form of a triangular tooth with an incurved apical spine;

proximal pinnules oblong with a terminal and lateral spines incurved or spreading, acroscopic lobe enlarged, nearly incised to costa on proximal pinnae.

Sori

with ciliate indusial margins.

=164.