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

common sword fern, sword fern, western fern, western sword fern

Stems

erect to occasionally ascending.

erect or ascending.

Leaves

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

bulblets absent.

arching, 5–18 dm;

bulblets absent.

Petiole

1/10–1/6 of blade, densely scaly;

scales light brown, gradually diminishing in size distally.

1/8–1/4 length of leaf, densely scaly;

scales red-brown to dark brown or nearly black, gradually diminishing in size distally.

Blade

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

linear-lanceolate, 1-pinnate, base slightly narrowed.

Pinnae

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.

narrowly lanceolate, straight to falcate, not overlapping, pinnae of shade-growing plants in 1 plane, those of sun-growing plants twisted or contorted, 1–15 cm;

base ± cuneate, auricles well developed;

margins serrulate-spiny with teeth ascending;

apex acuminate with subapical teeth same size as apical tooth;

microscales ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, with contorted projections, dense, on abaxial surface only.

Indusia

entire or minutely dentate-erose.

ciliate.

Spores

dark brown.

light yellow.

2n

= 82.

= 82.

Polystichum lonchitis

Polystichum munitum

Habitat In rock crevices or at base of boulders, mostly in boreal and subalpine coniferous forests or alpine regions Terrestrial, forest floor, only occasionally on rock, in mesic coniferous to moist, mixed evergreen forests
Elevation 0–3200 m (0–10500 ft) 0–2200 m (0–7200 ft)
Distribution
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]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; SD; WA; BC; Mexico on Guadalupe Island; naturalized in Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

One of the most abundant ferns in the western flora (rivaled only by Pteridium), Polystichum munitum also is of significant economic importance. Enormous quantities of leaves are gathered for backgrounds in funeral wreaths and other floral displays; the evergreen leaves keep well in cold storage and are exported to Europe. It is extensively used in landscaping, the trade being mainly in wild-collected plants.

Polystichum munitum appears to be most closely related to P. imbricans based on morphologic (D. H. Wagner 1979) and electrophoretic (P. S. Soltis et al. 1990) analyses. The chloroplast DNA of P. imbricans, however, is divergent (G. Yatskievych et al. 1988), suggesting a chloroplast origin independent of the nuclear genome. That Polystichum munitum is related to P. acrostichoides is supported by data from chloroplast DNA analysis (G. Yatskievych et al. 1988) but contradicted by data from electrophoretic studies (P. S. Soltis et al. 1990).

Polystichum munitum can be distinguished from P. imbricans by its persistent, wide (the largest wider than 1 mm) distal petiolar scales; such scales of P. imbricans are less than 1 mm wide and fall off early.

From an evolutionary standpoint, Polystichum munitum is a diploid progenitor of P. andersonii, P. californicum, P. setigerum, and, perhaps, P. scopulinum. Hybrids with all except P. setigerum have been reported, all triploid, attesting to its parental role in the tetraploids (see discussion under each). Hybrids with P. braunii (A. Sleep and T. Reichstein 1967), P. kruckebergii (P. S. Soltis et al. 1987), P. dudleyi (W. H. Wagner Jr. 1973), and P. lemmonii (P. S. Soltis et al. 1989) also have been reported.

The population on Guadalupe Island has been called Polystichum solitarium Maxon.

(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. dudleyi, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. kwakiutlii, P. lemmonii, 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. lonchitis, P. microchlamys, P. scopulinum, P. setigerum
Synonyms Polypodium lonchitis Aspidium munitum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Roth: Tent. Fl. Germ. 3(1): 71. (1799) (Kaulfuss) C. Presl: Tent. Pterid. 83. (1836)
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