fern
Western sword fern
Polystichum munitum
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Polystichum munitum is a slow-growing evergreen fern for gardens in zones 5–9. It grows 2–4 ft tall and 3–4 ft wide, so plant it 3 ft apart. Give it part sun to shade and little water once established. It is grown for its year-round foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Pacific Northwest and California. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, the Midwest, the Great Plains, Texas and the South-Central states, the Mountain West and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Polystichum munitum
- Plant type
- Fern, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 5 to 9
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Humus-rich soil; drought tolerant in shade once established.
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft tall × 3–4 ft wide
- Spacing
- 3 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, low water, classic
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. ASPCA lists Polystichum munitum as non-toxic.
- Native to
- Pacific Northwest and California
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $14–$24 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly the first summer; once established it needs only occasional summer water in shade.
- Pruning
- Cut old fronds to the base in late winter.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Western sword fern, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Oregon grape 'Compacta'Mahonia aquifolium 'Compacta'shrub · zones 5–9
- Pennsylvania sedgeCarex pensylvanicaornamental grass · zones 3–8
- Tufted hair grassDeschampsia cespitosaornamental grass · zones 4–9
- White wood asterEurybia divaricataperennial · zones 3–8
- Western bleeding heartDicentra formosaperennial · zones 4–8
- Douglas irisIris douglasianaperennial · zones 7–10
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Western sword fern: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants