The western blade fern ( Polystichum munitum ) is a fern species of the cosmopolitan genus Polystichum that is native to westerly North America . It can also be call the elephantine holly fern and the Christmas fern . There are over 260 coinage in the Polystichum genus , almost one-half of which are native to China and another 100 to Central and South America . The common name sword fern also refers to Nephrolepis cordifolia , an ornamental fern species that is consider incursive in Florida ; it can also be call in the tuberous sword fern , narrow sword fern or the fishbone fern .

Description

The westerly sword fern has leathery , pinnate leave up to 5 foot in length , with alternate pinna , or leaflets , that can be 6 inches long . The farewell originate out radially from a primal underground rootstalk . Each leaflet has serrate edges and two rows of spore - producing sori on the bottom which await like round , yellowish spots . The arching leaves are held semi - vertical and the plant can form big thump .

Range

The westerly sword fern is a wide set out species that is detect along the westerly seacoast of the United States from Alaska to California and inland as far east as Northern Idaho and Northwestern Montana . It is also found in Western Canada in British Columbia and the Yukon . There is an marooned universe on Guadalupe Island off Baja California and another in South Dakota ’s Black Hills .

Habitat

Found along flow bank and in moist hollow of cone-bearing forests , the westerly sword fern boom in moist , humbled - illumination conditions and acidic stain . It is native to redwood and Douglas fir forests as well as sundry evergreen plant forests . It is widely cultivate as an cosmetic garden plant on the West Coast but is inexplicably unmanageable to grow on the East Coast of the United States .

Cultivation

Western sword ferns are sturdy down to minus 4 academic degree F and will rise in USDA Zone 6 and above . They grow well in fertile , acidic dirt and low light conditions , although adult industrial plant will allow some unmediated sunshine . Sword ferns fly high in moist conditions but can survive through geological period with little water . Cultivated works should be inseminate with an all - purpose fertilizer at one-half strength every two weeks during the outflow and summertime . Old fronds should be removed for ornamental intellect and to preclude fungous flack . Otherwise , the sword fern is rarely upset by pest . Propagation is by division of mature clump at the rhizome .

Uses

Sword fern leaves are garner in the wild for use in flowered arrangements and funerary coronal . They can be observe in frigid storage throughout the year . In metre of need , aboriginal Amerindic tribes call for the rhizomes and ate them after peeling and roasting . The mature spores are used in traditional medicament as a cure for the pain of nettle confidence trick .

References

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