Polystichum

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Monilophytes
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Polypodiineae
Family: Dryopteridaceae
Subfamily: Dryopteridoideae
Genus: Polystichum

Species

Polystichum aculeatum

Polystichum setiferum

Polystichum × bicknellii

Notes

The identification of P. aculeatum and P. setiferum is complex and not always possible in the field. Instead of having a well-defined morphology, these two species exhibit rather a range of forms, with a continuous variation between them (Bizot et al., 2016). The measurement of spores under the microscope remain the only reliable means of identification in case of ambiguous morphologies.

Photographs

img/polystichum.webp — *Polystichum* sp.

img/polystichum-2.webp — *Polystichum* sp.

img/polystichum-3.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Pinnae

img/polystichum-4.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Pinnae

img/polystichum-5.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Pinnules

img/polystichum-6.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Pinnules, abaxial side showing open sporangia

img/polystichum-7.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - First pinnules of pinnae

img/polystichum-8.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Basal pinnae

img/polystichum-9.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Croziers

img/polystichum-comparison.webp — Comparison of *P. aculeatum* (top), *P. × bicknellii* (middle) and *P. setiferum* (bottom) pinnae

Anomalies

img/polystichum-anomaly.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Individual with a split frond

img/polystichum-anomaly-2.webp — *Polystichum* sp. - Split frond

Sources

Bizot, A., Holveck, P., Thomas, J.F., & Viane, R. (2016). Biométrie stomatique dans le genre Polystichum en Europe : résultats, enseignements et intérêts. Bulletin de la Société d’histoire naturelle des Ardennes, 105, 44-63.