Hard Shield Fern vs holly fern

Polystichum aculeatum compared with Polystichum lonchitis

Key Differences

• Hard Shield Fern is Near Threatened while holly fern is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hard Shield Fern	holly fern
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Tracheophyta	Tracheophyta
Class same	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order same	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family same	Dryopteridaceae	Dryopteridaceae
Genus same	Polystichum	Polystichum
Species	Polystichum aculeatum	Polystichum lonchitis

Evolutionary Relationship

Hard Shield Fern and holly fern share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Polystichum.

Conservation Status

Hard Shield Fern

NT — Near Threatened

holly fern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hard Shield Fern	holly fern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hard Shield Fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

holly fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden