The botanical name for sword ferns is Polystichum Munitum. The website Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest offers this bit of information: “Polystichum means many rows, referring to the arrangement of the spore cases on the undersides of the fronds. Munitum means armed with teeth, referring to its toothed fronds. Western Sword Fern is also known as Sword Holly Fern, Giant Holly Fern, Christmas Fern, Pineland Sword Fern, or Chamisso’s Shield Fern.”

Sword Ferns can be seen in abundance at the McLoughlin Gardens, incorporated into a garden bed, or growing in profusion in the woods. In spring, the fronds unfurl, resembling small green sea-horses.

How many ferns can you spot in the photo below? It’s interesting to speculate whether the garden was designed around them or they were dug up from somewhere else and planted in the beds on either side of the grassy road.