Deer Fern
Blechnum spicant
Description: An evergreen, once pinnately divided fern, somewhat like sword fern in growth habit with numerous, tufted leaves but with leaflets attached to axis at bases rather than on stalks. Has purplish brown stipes. It produces deciduous erect fertile leaves with narrower leaflets that are often rolled around the continuous, marginal, sori. Ecology: Found in moist or wet forests and streambanks, tends to replace sword fern at middle elevations but becomes less common at high elevations.
Found from low to even subalpine elevations.
Notes: This one was found growing at low elevation in a shady logging road ditch in Sechelt, BC, June 2001.
Sword Fern
Polystichum munitum
Description: A large beautiful fern that often covers the understory of forests at low and middle elevations in southwestern BC. It grows to 1.5m tall in this area and has once pinnately divided leaves with evergreen, dark green shiny alternate leaflets that are pointed and have sharp teeth.
Ecology: Common and widespread at low and middle elevations in southwestern BC, in partial shade to full sun, abundant in forest understory in moist areas.
Notes: This picture was taken at Chapman Creek in Sechelt, BC, June, 2001. Often used by first nations in bedding, cooking pits, and storage applications, rhizomes can be roasted and eaten as food.
Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Description: A large light green fern; differentiated from other large ferns in our area by its lighter colour and its horseshoe or half-moon shaped indusia attached laterally on one side and its leaflets that narrow towards the base in an elliptical shape. Grows up to 50cm up to 2m tall. .
Ecology: Common throughout our region in damp shady forests, swamps, thickets, streambanks, etc.
Notes: Spiny Wood Fern looks similar though it is usually but not always darker in colour, but the two can easily be distinguished by the eliptical leaf shape of lady fern as compared to a very triangular base on the Spiny Wood Fern. This one was found growing in a shady forest in Sechelt, BC not far from Chapman Creek.
Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum
Description: A very large fern, 1-1.5m high, occasionally up to 5m tall. The annual fronds appear in spring, individually, connected by a branching subterranean rhizome. Fronds have coarse three pinnate blades (pinnae are opposite, pinnules alternate).
Ecology: Very common in our area, found in acid, sandy soils, in open forests.
Notes: This picture was taken in a clearcut on an old sandy logging road being reclaimed by forest plants.
Spiny Wood Fern
Dryopteris expansa
Description: A tall fern with clustered, erect and spreading fronds; grows 1-2m tall from scaly rhizomes. Stipes are generally scaly and generally fairly short. Leaves are triangular in profile, 3 times pinnate with 5-20 pairs of leaflets with the lowest pair being triangular and asymmetrical. Rounded sori are partly covered by a rounded indusium.
Ecology: Found in moist forests and openings, scree slopes, from low to subalpine elevations.
Notes: Spiny wood fern is often confused with Lady Fern at first glance but the former is triangular while the latter is diamond shaped. Rootstocks of the spiny wood fern were at times used as a starchy food source by native peoples.
