Polystichum
aculeatum

Hard Shield Fern

  • Tufted leaves up to 1 m long
  • Blade dark glossy green, leathery; lower pinnae reduced in length
  • Stemless pinnulae (difference with P. setiferum)
  • Stem very scaly

DRYOPTERIDACEAE

= ASPIDIACEAE

genus Polystichum


  • Growth in spring, fructification in summer, leaves disappearing next spring
  • Cool woods, slopes, shaded base of cliffs, up to 2000 m in elevation
  • Widespread and common in Vercors