E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Polypodium glycyrrhiza D.C. Eaton
licorice fern
Polypodiaceae (Polypody family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Polypodium glycyrrhiza
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Evergreen or summer deciduous perennial with a long-creeping, scaly rhizome.

Leaves:
Lanceolate, 10-60 cm long, 2-15 cm wide, pinnatifid with sharp deep incisions and elongated pointed segments with toothed margins; rachis with rusty hairs on upper surface in the top one third.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry and seasonally wet rocks, trees, and soil humus in the lowland and montane zones; common in coastal BC; N to SE AK and S to ID and CA, disjunct in AZ.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Polypodium glycyrrhiza

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	0	230	1359
Slope Gradient (%)	0	37	350
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	0	202	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	3	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	448
Modal BEC Zone Class	CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	CDF(4), CWH(434), ICH(1), IDF(5), MH(3), MS(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Ecological Indicator Information

A shade-intolerant, submontane to montane, Asian and Pacific North American fem. Occurs in maritime to submaritime cool mesothermal climates on very shallow, calciumrich soils; its occurrence decreases with increasing continentality and elevation. Scattered to plentiful in open-canopy forests on water-shedding and water-receiving sites. Inhabits exposed soils, coarse fragments (boulders), or cliffs affected by temporary surface flow of water and/or fine organic materials. Common on the calcium-rich bark of broad-leaved trees, typically on Acer macrophyllum. Characteristic of mesothermal forests.

Source: Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Information applies to coastal locations only)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is cool mesothermal.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Polypodium occidentale
Polypodium vulgare subsp. occidentale (Hook.) HultTn
Polypodium vulgare var. commune Milde
Polypodium vulgare var. occidentale Hook.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Polypodiaceae
Flora North America treatment for Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-09 10:44:20 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.