Polystichum aculeatum

FamilyGenus: Polystichumheimisch in Deutschland

About this species

Polystichum aculeatum is a native fern in Great Britain, typically found in shady, moist, calcareous woodlands. It produces spores in late summer.

Ecological significance

This native fern forms part of the ground flora in moist, shaded, calcareous woodlands.

Annual cycle

Sporangia ripen from August to September.

Standort & Merkmale

Light

Schatten

Moisture

Frisch (Mäßig feucht)

Soil

Mittelzehrer (Normaler Boden)

Bloom time

Aug – Sep

Soil reaction

Mäßig sauer bis neutral

Bioregion

Continental

Growth form

Farn

Woodiness

Nicht verholzt

Leaf type

Breitblättrig

Plant height

0.811 m

Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)

Pflege & Anbau

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Light: shade

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Soil: moist, calcareous to basic, moderate fertility

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Height: up to about 0.8 m

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Spores: August to September

Scientific profile

Polystichum aculeatum is a native fern in Great Britain. It grows as a non-woody, broad-leaved plant reaching around 0.8 metres in height. The species prefers shaded conditions, moderately moist soils and a calcareous or basic reaction, with normal nutrient levels and low disturbance. Its ecology suggests a moderately warm temperature regime. Spore-bearing structures ripen from August to September. It is a component of moist, shaded woodland flora.

Sources & data origin

•TraitCH — CC BY 4.0TraitCH 2.0 contributors; imported as source-preserving NaturKompass taxon evidence.

•FloraWeb / BfN

•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)

•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)

•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)

•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)

•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)

All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible. Attribution according to license terms. Full source overview →