Lemmon's holly fern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lemmon's holly fern
Conservation status
Apparently Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Polypodiineae
Family:	Dryopteridaceae
Genus:	Polystichum
Species:	P. lemmonii
Binomial name
Polystichum lemmonii Underw.
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Polystichum lemmonii is a type of fern often called Lemmon's holly fern or Shasta fern. This plant grows naturally in western North America. You can find it from the Sierra Nevada mountains in California all the way north to Washington. It also grows in British Columbia, Canada, especially in the mountains near the Okanagan Valley.

About Lemmon's Holly Fern

Lemmon's holly fern likes to grow in mountains. It prefers special kinds of ground made from ultramafic rocks. These rocks often create a unique type of dirt called serpentine soil.

What It Looks Like

This fern has several leaves that stand up straight. Each leaf is shaped like a narrow spear and can be 10 to 35 centimeters long. That's about the length of a ruler!

Each leaf is made up of many small, oval-shaped parts called leaflets. These leaflets are often layered on top of each other. They can also be folded and twisted, making the whole leaf look almost like a tube. The edges of these leaflets are either cut or have small teeth.