OregonFlora: Polystichum kruckebergii vs. Polystichum scopulinum

	Polystichum kruckebergii	Polystichum scopulinum
	Kruckeberg's holly fern, Kruckeberg's sword fern	mountain holly fern, rock sword fern
Stems	ascending.	erect.
Leaves	small, mostly under 20 cm; bulbils absent.	small; to about 40 cm; bulbils absent.
Petiole(s)	variable in length from very short up to almost 50% of the leaf length; chaffy at base; scales sparser distally and present on at least the proximal part of the rachis.	highly variable in length; from short to over 33% length of the leaf.
Blades	1-pinnate-pinnatifid (sometimes 1-pinnate), narrowly lanceolate, not much reduced basally; microscales narrow, confined to the abaxial costa.	1-pinnate-pinnatifid to more or less bipinnate proximally, linear-lanceolate; to 25 × 6 cm; widest below mid-length and narrowed to the apex and base; microscales narrow, confined to the abaxial costa.
Pinnae	more or less ovate; small; to about 1.5 cm, overlapping, usually twisted out of plane; distal part strongly spiny-dentate with spreading spines; a few proximal segments more deeply incised, with several spreading spines, acroscopic lobe enlarged, sometimes forming a distinct pinnule.	ovate to narrowly ovate; to approximately 3 cm long, overlapping and twisted out of plane; distal part of pinna toothed, incised less than halfway to costa; teeth acute but not spine-tipped; proximal part (at least on the lower pinnae) deeply incised with 1– several pairs of pinnules; each entire to lobed/toothed, acroscopic pinnule somewhat enlarged.
Sori	with entire indusium.	with irregularly toothed indusial margins.
2n	=164.	=164.

	Polystichum kruckebergii	Polystichum scopulinum
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Rocky places. 800–3000 m. BR, BW, ECas. CA, ID, NV, WA; most of western North America. Native. Polystichum kruckebergii can appear pinnate, with even the proximal pinna segments not deeply lobed. It then resembles P. lonchitis, from which it differs in its more rounded pinnae with broader teeth. It can also be hard to distinguish from small specimens of P. scopulinum. The spores of P. kruckebergii are darker in color than the brown or yellow/brown spores of P. scopulinum. According to Wagner (1979), both species are allopolyploids that share one common parent (P. lemmonii × P. lonchitis = P. kruckebergii; P. lemmonii × P. munitum = P. scopulorum).	Rock crevices. 700–3000 m. BR, BW, Casc, ECas, Owy, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; western and northeastern North America. Native. This species is very similar to the rarer P. kruckebergii; see comments under that species.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 76 Duncan Thomas	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 77 Duncan Thomas
Sibling taxa	P. andersonii, P. andersonii x Polystichum munitum, P. californicum, P. californicum x Polystichum munitum, P. imbricans, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. munitum, P. scopulinum	P. andersonii, P. andersonii x Polystichum munitum, P. californicum, P. californicum x Polystichum munitum, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. munitum
Synonyms		Polystichum mohrioides, Polystichum mohrioides var. scopulinum
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 scopulinum

Kruckeberg's holly fern, Kruckeberg's sword fern

mountain holly fern, rock sword fern

Stems

ascending.

erect.

Leaves

small, mostly under 20 cm; bulbils absent.

small; to about 40 cm; bulbils absent.

Petiole(s)

variable in length from very short up to almost 50% of the leaf length; chaffy at base;

scales sparser distally and present on at least the proximal part of the rachis.

highly variable in length; from short to over 33% length of the leaf.

Blades

1-pinnate-pinnatifid (sometimes 1-pinnate), narrowly lanceolate, not much reduced basally;

microscales narrow, confined to the abaxial costa.

1-pinnate-pinnatifid to more or less bipinnate proximally, linear-lanceolate; to 25 × 6 cm; widest below mid-length and narrowed to the apex and base;

microscales narrow, confined to the abaxial costa.

Pinnae

more or less ovate; small; to about 1.5 cm, overlapping, usually twisted out of plane;

distal part strongly spiny-dentate with spreading spines; a few proximal segments more deeply incised, with several spreading spines, acroscopic lobe enlarged, sometimes forming a distinct pinnule.

ovate to narrowly ovate; to approximately 3 cm long, overlapping and twisted out of plane;

distal part of pinna toothed, incised less than halfway to costa;

teeth acute but not spine-tipped;

proximal part (at least on the lower pinnae) deeply incised with 1– several pairs of pinnules; each entire to lobed/toothed, acroscopic pinnule somewhat enlarged.

Sori

with entire indusium.

with irregularly toothed indusial margins.

=164.

Polystichum scopulinum

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Rocky places. 800–3000 m. BR, BW, ECas. CA, ID, NV, WA; most of western North America. Native.

Polystichum kruckebergii can appear pinnate, with even the proximal pinna segments not deeply lobed. It then resembles P. lonchitis, from which it differs in its more rounded pinnae with broader teeth. It can also be hard to distinguish from small specimens of P. scopulinum. The spores of P. kruckebergii are darker in color than the brown or yellow/brown spores of P. scopulinum. According to Wagner (1979), both species are allopolyploids that share one common parent (P. lemmonii × P. lonchitis = P. kruckebergii; P. lemmonii × P. munitum = P. scopulorum).