Soft shield fern
Polystichum setiferum
Family · Dryopteridaceae · Harmless
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The elegant fern of damp shade whose fronds grow in a rosette and are soft to the touch, the axis covered in cinnamon-coloured scales. Each leaflet has a small ear at its upper corner.
Oak woods · Streams and ditches · Uplands
Also known assoft shield-fern, hedge fern
How to tell it
Fronds to a metre and a half in a circular rosette, soft and flexible, unlike male fern, which is stiff. Twice divided, each segment with a distinct ear at the upper corner next to the axis and a bristle tip. Axis and base covered in orange-brown scales. The sori are round with a shield-shaped cover.
What it is confused with
Male fern
Dryopteris filix-mas
Run a hand along the frond: soft shield fern is soft, male fern stiff and slightly rough. And only the shield fern has the ear at each leaflet's corner and a bristle tip.
What it is for
No use. It indicates well-preserved damp woodland, and the ear at each leaflet's upper corner is one of the most useful marks for telling crown ferns apart without turning the frond over.