Plants › shieldfern family
western sword fern
Polystichum munitum
27 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Narrowleaf sword fernPolystichum imbricans
deer fernStruthiopteris spicant
licorice fernPolypodium glycyrrhiza
Christmas fernPolystichum acrostichoides
northern holly fernPolystichum lonchitis
California shield fernPolystichum californicum
western maidenhair fernAdiantum aleuticum
common brackenPteridium aquilinum
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 44,850 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 29,159 |
| British Columbia | 29,158 |
| Washington | 17,430 |
| California | 16,941 |
| Oregon | 9,816 |
| Idaho | 461 |
| Alaska | 162 |
| Alberta | 101 |
| Nevada | 14 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Group and habits
- Medicinal useListed as having medicinal use by a harvested source. This is not medical advice.Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species
- Forb or herb growth formListed by a harvested source as having a forb or herbaceous growth form.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
- Fern growth formListed by a harvested source as belonging to the fern plant group.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
- Perennial plantListed by a harvested source as having a perennial life duration.USDA PLANTS Characteristics
Edibility, toxicity and medicinal traits are records from datasets, not advice. Never eat, handle or use a wild species on the strength of an app.
Classification
| Kingdom | Plants · Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Vascular Plants · Tracheophyta |
| Class | Ferns · Polypodiopsida |
| Order | Polypodiales |
| Family | shieldfern family · Dryopteridaceae |
| Genus | shield ferns · Polystichum |
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: Kew World Checklist of Useful Plant Species (CC BY 4.0)
- Traits: USDA PLANTS Characteristics (U.S. Government work / public domain)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise western sword fern with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.