Polystichum setiferum - Soft Shield Fern

Polystichum setiferum, also known as Soft Shield Fern, is a very beautiful semi-evergreen fern that is easy to grow in all regions and widely found in gardens. It has a harmonious habit, both spreading and diverging, supported by large, slender fronds that are intensely divided, flexible, and soft to the touch, adorned with a vibrant green colour. In spring, its young shoots unfurl in a sparkling manner under silvery scales. It thrives in shaded positions, in deep, humus-rich, and well-drained soil.

Polystichum setiferum, formerly known as Polystichum angulare, is a botanical species native to Great Britain and Western Europe, especially southern regions, as well as temperate Asia and North Africa. Its natural habitat consists of woods and shaded ravines. It is a perennial plant of the Dryopteridaceae family, giving rise to more than 300 cultivars that vary in their characteristics. Polystichum setiferum resembles Polystichum aculeatum, but can be distinguished by the softer texture of its lamina and their dullness. They generally wither in autumn. This fern forms a spreading tuft with an upright habit, reaching a height and width of 40 to 80 cm (16 to 32 in). The young shoots that emerge in spring are brown, then unfurl to reveal silvery and sparkling scales. The slightly arching fronds have an enlarged central lamina, highly divided into 30 to 40 pairs of dentate pinnae, covered in bristles. The petiole of each frond is scaly and brown.

The Polystichum genus is highly diverse and particularly decorative throughout the year in most species and varieties. Polystichum setiferum is a species that adapts to many cool and shaded situations, in well-drained soil as it dislikes stagnant moisture. Its large, silky fronds that emerge from the shade invite touch, along a shaded pathway. In the undergrowth, it can be associated with simple and undemanding plants such as butcher's broom, holly, Mahonias, or cotoneasters. It also pairs well with bamboo, shrubby fuchsias, nandinas, and hostas. Ferns are magnificent at the edge of water bodies or in large shaded rockeries.