Species · GBIF taxon 2651122
western sword fern
Polystichum munitumAlso known as Western Swordfern, Sword Fern, Giant Holly Fern
Western sword ferns are robust, evergreen giants of the Pacific Northwest forest floor, forming magnificent clumps of arching, leathery fronds that can reach up to 1.8 meters in height. Each sword-shaped frond features alternating, finely-toothed leaflets, each with a small upward-pointing lobe at the base resembling a sword hilt. These resilient ferns play a vital ecological role by stabilizing damp slopes, providing year-round shelter for small forest creatures, and thriving in the deep shade of coniferous canopies.
EvergreenShade-LovingSpore-Bearing
- diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
- family
- Dryopteridaceae
- threats
- Habitat destruction, urban development, and severe prolonged droughts
- life Span
- Up to 100 years or more
LC
Safe to observe and touch at any distance.
- Look for the hilt: Examine the base of an individual leaflet to find the small, upward-pointing lobe that resembles a sword hilt.
- Inspect the undersides: Turn over a mature frond in summer to see the neat, double rows of circular, spore-producing sori.
- Appreciate the fiddleheads: Watch for the tightly coiled, silvery-scaled fiddleheads emerging from the forest floor in early spring.