About Polystichum californicum (D.C.Eaton) Diels
Polystichum californicum is a fern species commonly called the California sword fern. It is native to western North America, ranging from British Columbia to California, where it grows in the coastal mountain ranges, Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada. Its typical habitats include forest understories and open rocky slopes. This fern grows several arching or erect leaves that can reach up to one meter in length. Each leaf is lance-shaped and composed of many sharp-toothed segments. Rounded sori that hold the fern's spores grow on the undersides of the leaves. This species originated as a hybrid between other Polystichum species, and it readily forms new hybrids of its own.
