Flora of North America species comparison

Polystichum acrostichoides is a common species most closely related to P. munitum (G. Yatskievych et al. 1988), which also occurs extensively on forest floors.

The dimorphic pinnae of Polystichum acrostichoides are not unique to the genus; they are found also in some Asian species. Numerous variants have been named, mostly as forms, but none are of taxonomic consequence. Hybrids are known with P. braunii (P. × potteri Barrington) and P. lonchitis (P. × hagenahii Cody). The latter hybrid is rare, known only from its type locality in Ontario, where it grows with both parents. It is recognized by its intermediate morphology (leaves wider than P. lonchitis, narrower than P. acrostichoides, with slightly contracted sorus-bearing pinnae) and malformed sporangia and spores. Polystichum × potteri is much more widespread, from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec through New England to Pennsylvania. It resembles P. braunii but has narrower leaves bearing malformed sporangia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Polystichum setigerum is disjunct on Attu Island at the western tip of the Aleutian Archipelago. It is presumed to be of hybrid origin, the result of a cross between P. munitum and P. braunii (D. H. Wagner 1979). This hybrid has been produced experimentally (A. Sleep and T. Reichstein 1967) and is reported from British Columbia (see discussion under P. braunii).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)