• Image of Polystichum tripteron taken 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.

Shop Available Polystichum
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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)


Polystichum tripteron is one of our most admired and requested ferns, but unfortunately one that is always in short supply.This robust clump former hails from moist mountain woodlands in China, Japan, and Korea. In the garden, Trifid sword fern forms an 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.