Flora of North America species comparison

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Polystichum dudleyi

Polystichum lonchitis

Dudley's sword fern

holly fern, mountain fern, northern holly fern, polystic faux-lonchitis
Stems

erect.

erect to occasionally ascending.
Leaves

monomorphic, arching, 2–10 dm;

bulblets absent.

erect, not arching except at tip, 1–6 dm;

bulblets absent.
Petiole

1/5–1/3 length of leaf, densely scaly;

scales light brown, gradually diminishing in size distally.

1/10–1/6 of blade, densely scaly;

scales light brown, gradually diminishing in size distally.
Blade

broadly lanceolate, 2-pinnate, base not narrowed.

linear, often widest above middle, 1-pinnate, base narrowed.
Pinnae

narrowly lanceolate, not overlapping, in 1 plane, 3–13 cm;

base oblique, apex acute with subapical and apical teeth same size;

microscales filiform, lacking projections, sparse abaxially, but longer than in other Polystichum species, forming loosely tangled network over blade and sori (such network only in this species), sparse adaxially.

oblong to lanceolate to falcate, proximal pinnae ± deltate, rarely overlapping, in 1 plane, 0.5–3 cm, base truncate to oblique, acroscopic auricle well developed;

margins serrulate-spiny with teeth spreading;

apex acute, subapical tooth hardly smaller than apical tooth;

microscales dense, on abaxial surface only.
Indusia

ciliate.

entire or minutely dentate-erose.
Spores

brown.

dark brown.
Pinnules

± stalked, linear-falcate to oblique-rhombic, acroscopic auricle well developed on proximal pinnules;

margins spinulose-dentate;

apex acute.

2n

= 82.

= 82.

Polystichum dudleyi

Polystichum lonchitis
Habitat Moist forests In rock crevices or at base of boulders, mostly in boreal and subalpine coniferous forests or alpine regions
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 0–3200 m (0–10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MI; MN; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; NF; NS; ON; QC; YT; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Polystichum dudleyi is confined to coastal central California. Hybrids with P. californicum are relatively frequent where these species occur together. These hybrids would key here but, unlike P. dudleyi, they are less divided and have aborted sporangia. The sterile diploid hybrid with P. munitum is also frequent in areas of sympatry. It is indistinguishable from P. californicum except for malformed sporangia and chromosome number (W. H. Wagner Jr. 1973).

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

The hybrid between Polystichum lonchitis and P. acrostichoides (= P. × hagenahii Cody) is discussed under P. acrostichoides. The hybrid with P. braunii (= P. × meyeri Sleep & Reichstein) is discussed under P. braunii. In the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, P. lonchitis hybridizes with Dryopteris goldieana to produce the peculiar × Dryostichum singulare W. H. Wagner (W. H. Wagner Jr., F. S. Wagner et al. 1992).

The spiny spores of P. lonchitis are distinctive and distinguish this from dwarfed forms of other 1-pinnate species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae > Polystichum Dryopteridaceae > Polystichum
Sibling taxa
P. acrostichoides, P. aleuticum, P. andersonii, P. braunii, P. californicum, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. kwakiutlii, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. microchlamys, P. munitum, P. scopulinum, P. setigerum
P. acrostichoides, P. aleuticum, P. andersonii, P. braunii, P. californicum, P. dudleyi, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. kwakiutlii, P. lemmonii, P. microchlamys, P. munitum, P. scopulinum, P. setigerum
Synonyms P. aculeatum var. dudleyi Polypodium lonchitis
Name authority Maxon: J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 8: 620. (1918) (Linnaeus) Roth: Tent. Fl. Germ. 3(1): 71. (1799)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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