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Western Sword Fern

Ferns and Fern Allies

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Western sword fern, Polystichum munitum, is an evergreen fern of the family Dryopteridaceae native to the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to California, where it is one of the most abundant understory plants in coniferous rainforests. Its long, leathery fronds bear rows of narrow, sword-shaped leaflets each with a small thumb-like lobe at the base, and its evergreen foliage was used by Pacific Northwest Coast indigenous peoples for lining pits and wrapping food.

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