• Image of Polystichum tripterontaken at Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC by JLBG
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Polystichum tripteron

Trifid Sword Fern

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

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Item #: 6947

Zones: 5a to 8b, possibly colder

Dormancy: Evergreen

Height: 20" tall

Culture: Light Shade

Origin: China, Japan, Korea

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


This is one of our most requested ferns and unfortunately one that is always in short supply. P. tripteron is a robust grower that hails from moist mountain woodlands in China, Japan, and Korea. In the garden, P. tripteron forms a very attractive, 2' wide, deciduous clump of medium green fronds. The basal pair of pinnae (fern leaflets) got carried away and grew much longer than the other pinnae resulting in unusual fronds that look like wings on a green airplane...much easier to visualize after a couple of drinks.