Polystichum aculeatum Hard Shield-fern

A fern with dark green, leathery fronds which are bipinnate and lanceolate in shape. The pinnae are more closely spaced than those of Soft Shield-fern (Polystichum setiferum) and have more acute segments. Overall the narrower outline and the relatively short stalk to the fronds are quite distinctive. It is largely a species of the uplands where it is frequent in shaded enviroments in some Atlantic valley woodlands. In West Glamorgan it is most commmon in Neath Port Talbot, particularly in the riparian woodlands in the Vale of Neath, but it is uncommon in Gower. Small, juvenile plants growing from rocky ledges bear a superficial resemblance to Holly Fern (Polystichum lonchitis), a mountain species that doesn't occur in our area. These juvenile forms were once recognised as Polystichum aculeatum var. cambrica.

Native