- Polystichum setiferum
Taxobox
name = "Polystichum setiferum"
image_width = 240px
regnum =Plant ae
divisio =Pteridophyta
classis =Pteridopsida
ordo =Polypodiales
familia =Dryopteridaceae
genus = "Polystichum "
species = "P. setiferum"
binomial = "Polystichum setiferum"
binomial_authority = (Forssk.) Woynar"Polystichum setiferum" (Soft Shield Fern) is an
evergreen or semi-evergreenfern native to southern and westernEurope . It is most abundant inIreland , southwesternGreat Britain , westernFrance and northwest Iberia, where it benefits from the combination of mild winters and moist summers, but also occurs more locally north to northernScotland and east to theCrimea andTurkey ; in theMediterranean region it usually grows at high altitudes. It grows in woodlands, often but not always on steep slopes.The bright green
frond s are 30-120 cm long, usually drooping downslope, with typically 4-10 fronds on a mature plant. The fronds are soft-textured, bipinnate (single-pinnate on small, young plants), with the pinnae opposite on the stalk. Each pinna is 4-14 cm long, with a large upward-pointing pinnule at the base, and the other pinnules decreasing in size toward the pinna tip; the pinnules have softly bristly tips. Individual fronds live for 0.8-1.5 years and remain attached to therhizome after withering. The round sori occupy two rows on either side of the midrib of each pinnule and are covered by a centrally-attached, umbrella-like indusium with fringed edges. They produce light yellowspore s.It is frequently grown as an
ornamental plant in gardens, with severalcultivar s available.References
* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Polystichum+&SPECIES_XREF=setiferum&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: "Polystichum setiferum"]
*Hyde, H. A., Wade, A. E., & Harrison, S. G. (1978). "Welsh Ferns". National Museum of Wales.
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