Soft shield fern
Polystichum setiferum (Forssk.) Woyn.
Also known as: Hedge fern
Family: Dryopteridaceae
40 to 90 cm
Cool, shady woodland, damp banks
Flowering: Does not flower — reproduces by spores
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to -20°C
🍃 Leaves
Deeply cut fronds, soft to the touch, in a large spreading evergreen clump
🌸 Flowers
No flowers: round sori arranged in two rows under the pinnae
🍎 Fruits
No fruits — spores contained in the sori
🪵 Bark
Short rootstock covered with golden-brown scales
🗺️ Distribution
Western and southern Europe; common in France in the west and south-west, in cool woodland
🐝 Value for pollinators
Fern reproducing by spores, with no flowers and no interest for pollinators
✂️ Horticultural uses
Grown in shady woodland, valued for its elegant evergreen foliage
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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