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

Polystichum scopulinum (D.C. Eaton) Maxon
mountain holly fern (mountain hollyfern)
Dryopteridaceae (Wood Fern family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Polystichum scopulinum
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Evergreen perennial arising from a short, stout rhizome.

Leaves:
Lanceolate, 10-40 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, 1-pinnate, with stipe longer than 1/3 of the blade; pinnae oblong, arranged in plane of blade, deeply cut, with spreading teeth.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry to mesic, shady, ultramafic rock outcrops of the montane zone; rare in SC BC, known only from the Tulameen River valley; disjunct E to PQ and S to CO, AZ, and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Similar Species

Polystichum lemmonii and Polystichum kruckebergii are related taxa which are morphologically and ecologically similar to Polystichum scopulinum. P. scopulinum can be distinguished from P. lemmonii by its spiny-toothed pinna margins and its once pinnate fronds (vs. smooth margins and bipinnate fronds in P. lemmonii) (Douglas et al. 2000). P. kruckebergii has once pinnate fronds like P. scopulinum, but the pinnae are abruptly pointed (especially at the base of the frond) and bear coarse, spreading teeth. P. scopulinum has pinna tips that are obtuse and bear fine incurved teeth.

Source: British Columbia Conservation Data Centre

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Polystichum scopulinum

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)	1114	1620	1857
Slope Gradient (%)	8	43	90
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	0	22	346
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	1	3	6
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	C
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	13
Modal BEC Zone Class	ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	ESSF(11), ICH(2)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

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 not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S1S2	Red	T (May 2005)

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

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Polystichum mohrioides var. scopulinum (D.C. Eaton) Fernald

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Dryopteridaceae
Flora North America treatment for Polystichum scopulinum
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: 2025-03-17 1:58:01 AM ]

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.