OregonFlora: Polystichum lonchitis vs. Polystichum californicum

	Polystichum lonchitis	Polystichum californicum
	Northern holly fern	California sword fern
Stems	erect.	erect or ascending.
Leaves	to 50 cm but usually smaller, 10 cm or even shorter in specimens from exposed sites; bulbils absent.	robust to approximately 70 cm; bulbils absent.
Petiole	short; less than 20% of the leaf length; leaves sometimes subsessile; chaffy scales sparse to dense on the petiole and rachis.	up to 33% leaf length; scales long, brown and densely chaffy proximally, becoming smaller and sparser distally.
Blades	1-pinnate; very narrow; more or less linear; to approximately 45 × 5 cm; widest in the mid-region and tapered to apex and base; microscales narrow on abaxial surface; adaxial surface glabrous.	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	oblonglanceolate, slightly falcate; up to 4 × 1.5 cm; lowest pinnae often broadly triangular, rarely overlapping; in 1 plane; margins regularly spiny-toothed; spines conspicuous, spreading or angled forward, acroscopic auricle large, broadly triangular; ovate, bearing several spreading spines.	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 irregularly toothed indusia.	with ciliate indusial margins.
2n	=82.	=164.

	Polystichum lonchitis	Polystichum californicum
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Shaded, rocky or occasionally wet places. 300–3000 m. BR, BW, Casc, ECas, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, circumboreal. Native.	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, page 76 Duncan Thomas	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. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. lemmonii, 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
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 lonchitis

Polystichum californicum

Northern holly fern

California sword fern

Stems

erect.

erect or ascending.

Leaves

to 50 cm but usually smaller, 10 cm or even shorter in specimens from exposed sites; bulbils absent.

robust to approximately 70 cm; bulbils absent.

Petiole

short; less than 20% of the leaf length;

leaves sometimes subsessile; chaffy scales sparse to dense on the petiole and rachis.

up to 33% leaf length;

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

Blades

1-pinnate; very narrow; more or less linear; to approximately 45 × 5 cm; widest in the mid-region and tapered to apex and base;

microscales narrow on abaxial surface;

adaxial surface glabrous.

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

oblonglanceolate, slightly falcate; up to 4 × 1.5 cm; lowest pinnae often broadly triangular, rarely overlapping; in 1 plane;

margins regularly spiny-toothed;

spines conspicuous, spreading or angled forward, acroscopic auricle large, broadly triangular; ovate, bearing several spreading spines.

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 irregularly toothed indusia.

with ciliate indusial margins.

=82.

=164.