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Polystichum munitum

Common name:	Giant Holly Fern	Family:	Dryopteridaceae
Author:	(Kaulfuss.)C.Presl.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:	Aspidium munitum (Kaulf.)
Known Hazards:	Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable[200]. Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase[172].
Range:	Western N. America - Alaska to California.
Habitat:	There are two distinct varieties, var. munitum grows in moist coniferous woods, var. imbricans grows in rock crevices and rocky soils in dry coniferous soils[60]. Forms extensive colonies[187].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. munitum var. incisoserratum[B,P] Polysticum munitum[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Fern, Western Sword [S], Giant Holly Fern [H], Pineland Sword Fern [B], Sword Fern, Western [S], Western Sword Fern [S,FEIS,H], Western Swordfern [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	munitum = armed
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Polypodiales. Wood Fern family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Canada(Salish)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen fern growing to 1m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in leaf all year. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Root.

Root - roasted[2, 105, 118, 161]. Peeled and then baked like potatoes[213]. The roots were generally viewed by the native North American Indians mainly as a famine food for use when little else was available[256]. The roots were generally harvested in the spring, before the plant came into growth then cooked and peeled before being eaten[256].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antidandruff Birthing aid Poultice.

An infusion of the fronds has been used as a wash or poultice to treat boils and sores[213, 257].
The young shoots have been chewed and eaten as a treatment for cancer of the womb and to treat sore throats and tonsillitis[257]. The leaves have been chewed by women to facilitate childbirth[257].
The sporangia have been crushed and applied as a poultice to burns, sores and boils[213, 257].
A decoction of the rhizomes has been used in the treatment of dandruff[213, 257].

Other Uses

Ground cover Hair Lining.

The leaves are used for lining boxes, baskets, fruit drying racks etc and as a stuffing material in bedding[99, 118, 257].
A decoction of the rhizome treats dandruff[172].
Plants can be grown as a ground cover and are best spaced about 1 metre apart each way[208].

Cultivation details

Very hardy and easily grown in light shade in any reasonable soil[187]. Prefers a sandy humus-rich soil in a shady position that is moist even in winter[1]. Tolerates part sun for up to 6 hours a day if the soil remains moist[200]. It is possible that the var. imbricans will succeed in drier soils[K]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 to 7.5[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is a robust clump-forming species[187].
Remove old fronds from the plant in the spring because they may harbour fungal diseases[200].

Propagation

Spores - best sown as soon as they are ripe, though they can also be sown in the spring. Sow them on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and keep humid until they are well established. Do not plant outside until the ferns are at least 2 years old and then only in a very well sheltered position.
Division. This is best done in the spring.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Polysticum munitum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[99] Turner. N. J. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum 1979 ISBN 0-7718-8117-7
Excellent and readable guide.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[118] Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981 ISBN 0-295-95258-X
A small book, it is a good guide to useful plants in Western N. America.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[256] Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1
Excellent little handbook about the native food plants of Western Canada. Good descriptions of the plants and their uses with colour photos of most plants.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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