Botanical name:

Polystichum vestitum

Common name(s):

Punui, prickly shield fern

About:

Punui is a very cold-hardy fern that grows well in cooler areas. It has long, dark green fronds that feel almost prickly, giving it a unique look. Over time, it grows into a larger clump, adding beauty to the landscape. This fern is a terrestrial type with an upright, scaly rhizome that can form a short trunk, allowing it to reach heights of up to 700 mm. The fronds can vary in length from 220 to 600mm. Each pinnule usually has 5 round sori, located midway between the edge and the centre, covered by a light brown indusium, which adds to its unique reproductive features.

Natural habitat:

Coastal to alpine. In the northern part of its range P. vestitum is confined to montane regions or cold situations, further south it progressively extends to lower altitudes. In the South Island it ranges from coastal to alpine regions. P. vestitum is a species of exposed habitats, such as forest margins, gulley floors and tussock grasslands, but it also commonly extends into forest in colder, wetter parts of New Zealand.

Growing environment:

Frost, Shade, Wetland, Wind, Coastal, Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:
New Zealand’s North, South, Stewart, Chatham, Snares, Antipodes, Campbell, Auckland, Macquarie Islands. In the North Island scarce north of Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula.

Height: 70cm

Flowering: N/A Spore producing.

Fruiting: N/A

Uses:

Riparian plantings, Forests & Container friendly

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh spores and transplants. However, often slow to establish. Does best in a shaded site planted within a deep, free draining humus-enriched fertile soil.