California Native Ferns

Ferns are among Earth’s oldest plants, tracing back before the time of the dinosaurs (300 million years ago). They appear in fossil records well before the flowering plants that have come to dominate our planet and they populate nearly every ecosystem on Earth. The world of ferns is a vast and expansive one, and this article will focus on an interesting subset of ferns—those native to the state of California. Here are ten California native ferns worth a closer look.

 
Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum)
The western sword fern isn't simply the best known native fern, it is the most widely used in California gardens, and for good reason. It is one of the most durable of all native ferns, thriving in shade but also able to prosper in a surprising amount of sun. It appreciates regular water but is quite drought tolerant. One of the larger native ferns, it can reach up to four feet tall and wide. It produces upward-facing, dark-green fronds in a tight clump, spreading out radially from a round base. Fronds are single pinnate (leaflets on opposite sides of the central axis), with the one- to six-inch-long pinnae alternating on the stalk. These pinnae have a small upward-po...