Montane to alpine. Rocks. Summer.
Vallecito Creek Trail, September 13, 2010.

This shining circumboreal Fern is found in few locations in the Four Corners area.  Its usual habitat is rocky crevices (as pictured here) or scree slopes, but it is sometimes found in Coniferous woods. 

Narrow and long (to two feet) fronds have numerous pinnae (leaflets), with the longest pinnae usually at or above the middle of the leaves. 

Each pinnae is conspicously spinulose (tipped with minute spines). 

From collections made in Europe, this plant was first described and named Polypodium lonchitis by Linnaeus in 1753.  AlbrechtRoth renamed it Polystichum lonchitis in 1799.

Montane to alpine. Rocks. Summer.
Vallecito Creek Trail, September 13, 2010.

Sori are in a symmetrical and mesmerizing series of v's.  The sori are the brown dots. 

Sori are actually groupings of many individual brown sporangia, each of which encloses numerous spores.  In Polystichum lonchitis the sori are borne primarily on the middle and upper pinnae.  The spores within the sori shown at left will ripen and eventually the wind or a tap by a passing animal will send out a cloud of spores.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Polystichum lonchitis