Species

Polystichum californicum (California shield fern)

Polystichum californicum. Photo: (c) John Game, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)

Polystichum californicum is a species of fern known by the common name California sword fern. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it occurs in the coastal mountain ranges and the Cascade Range through the Sierra Nevada. Its habitat includes forest understory and open rocky slopes. This fern produces several arching or erect leaves up to a meter long. Each lance-shaped leaf is made up of many sharp-toothed segments. The…

— Wikipedia