Sword Fern

Sword Fern
Polystichum munitum

Came with the house. The one under the bathroom window was where the pond is now. Chris dug it up and moved it the first year we were here (summer 2010). It was never really "planted". The root ball is above the ground.

Kingof NW ferns. Adapts to nearly any condition. Native.

Spores have medicinal uses, such as relieving pain from stinging nettles. Spores are on the undersides of the leaves and are released in late summer.

Underground rootstock is called the rhizome. Young fronds that have not unfurled are called fiddleheads.

May be divided in the spring if the clump is large and the roots are well developed.

Shake the fronds into a paper bag in July or late August to collect the seeds. Sprinkle the seeds into a bed of moist peat moss. Cover and place in a shady location (about 59-86 degrees F). Do not let them dry out or mold. Wipe away condensation to prevent mold. After several weeks, flat heart shaped discs appear, called gametophytes. Mist with water to keep moist. A few weeks later fern fronds will sprout which with wither and die as it establishes itself. The ferns can be transplanted to individual containers a few weeks after fronds appear.