Western Swordfern
”Take a break! Five minutes! You’re injured?” “Oh no uh, it’s from their baby. I set its broken leg, it’s just not drying in the humidity”
~Roland Tembo & Sarah Harding
Species:
Polystichum munitum
Common Name:
Western Swordfern
Family:
Dryopteridaceae
Seen in:
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
• Jurassic Park Trespasser (1998)
• Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2016)
Description:
The Western Swordfern is an evergreen species of fern plant native to the western portion of the USA (Hence the first name). It is one of many fern species known in the world, in particular being abundant in coniferous forests, both on the mainland, and in some of Jurassic Park’s Islands such as Isla Sorna.
The Western Swordfern has long dark green fronds that can grow from 50 to 180 centimeters out of a round base in multiple angles. Each frond is single-pinnate, that is, forming the shape of simple conical leaves with a pointy tip resembling the tip of a sword, giving its common name.
In Jurassic Park’s history, the Swordfern is very predominantly seen in the redwood forests of Isla Sorna, nearby the eastern sections of the Island, likely being one of the main sources of nutrients to herbivorous dinosaurs in the region such as Stegosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Gallimimus and Parasaurolophus. The fern would also be seen on Mantah Corp’s Island in 2016, more specifically inside the Forest Biodome, built to simulate Sorna’s environment. With the general ecosystem of the island being tropical, it is safe to assume the fern was artificially introduced into the Biodome.
Size Estimates:
50cm to 180cm Long
Did you know?
There are over 500 different species within the genus Polystichum!
Habitat & Geographical Ranging:
Growing in humid coniferous forests, the Western Swordfern grows in low elevations rich in acidic soil and humus, preferring the cool weather the forest can give, needing a high amount of water too. As mentioned previously, the fern is found primarily in the western portion of the US, found primarily in the state of California, but also in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Its range also extends further north into British Columbia, a state from Canada as well as parts south of Alaska.
In the Jurassic Park Islands, the fern is found primarily on Isla Sorna, being abundant in the coniferous forests from the east portion of the Island. It was also artificially introduced into Mantah Corp’s Island, specifically at one of the Biodomes created to house dinosaurs captured from Sorna such as two Tyrannosaurs.
Individual Variation:
This species has no known Variation.