Plants › shieldfern family
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
36 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
ebony spleenwortAsplenium platyneuron
narrow-leaved glade fernHomalosorus pycnocarpos
rock polypodyPolypodium virginianum
western sword fernPolystichum munitum
southern sword fernNephrolepis exaltata
Appalachian rockcap fernPolypodium appalachianum
cinnamon fernOsmundastrum cinnamomeum
northern maidenhair fernAdiantum pedatum
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 97,983 |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 11,847 |
| Virginia | 9,755 |
| Canada | 8,219 |
| Maryland | 7,618 |
| Pennsylvania | 7,550 |
| New York | 7,457 |
| Ohio | 5,981 |
| Tennessee | 5,662 |
| Georgia | 5,054 |
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
- Restoration or landscaping useListed as being used for restoration, landscaping, ornamental planting, erosion control, soil improvement, shade, windbreaks, pollution indicators, or wastewater purification.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 |
Study it in a deck
- Medicinal Plants of Baltimore County
- Native Plants of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Plants of Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
- Plants of Richmond city, Virginia, United States
- Trees of Maryland
Or build your own from the species near you.
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 Christmas fern with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.