Western Sword-fern - Polystichum munitum

Description

A robust evergreen fern forming a large clump of erect, narrowly lance-shaped, dark green, pinnate fronds, the narrow pinnae finely spine-toothed.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Prefers partly shaded, moist well-drained soil.

When to see it

All year round.

Life History

Evergreen perennial.

UK Status

Infrequent or rarely recorded in Britain.

VC55 Status

Rare in the wild in Leicestershire and Rutland; the specimen from Castle Hill Country Park on 10th Jan 2016 is the first record of this species naturalised in VC55. It is occasionally grown in gardens. 

It was not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Western Sword-fern
Species group:
Ferns & Horsetails
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Polypodiales
Family:
Dryopteridaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
2
First record:
10/01/2016 (Hall, Geoffrey)
Last record:
17/10/2021 (Bedford, Frank)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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