Polystichum lonchitis

Holly fern

Family: Dryopteridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 3

Holly fern is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada High Country including Yolla Bolly Mountains, and northern Sierra Nevada in shaded, moist granite or limestone crevices and bluffs at elevations of 1,700 to 2,600 meters. This fern has deep green fronds generally 10 to 60 centimeters long with distinctive lance-ovate scales at the base of its stipe. Growing with a linear, one-pinnate blade structure, its pinnae are typically 1 to 3 centimeters long with proximal segments roughly half the length of the upper pinnae. Its fronds feature triangular lower pinnae and a delicate, structured growth pattern characteristic of ferns in high-elevation rocky environments. The fern's sporangia have an entire or minutely toothed indusium, contributing to its distinctive alpine woodland appearance.

Habitat: Generally shaded, moist or wet, granite or limestone crevices or bluffs

Elevation: 1700-2600 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH (Yolla Bolly Mtns), n SNH

California counties: Siskiyou, Humboldt, Mariposa, Napa, Placer, Del Norte, Trinity, Alpine, Shasta, Plumas, Tehama, Sierra, Butte

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.