shield fern

Meanings

nounshield fern (plural shield ferns)

Certain ferns with elements of shield-like appearance, principally of four genera:
1. Dryopteris (buckler ferns)
2. Lastreopsis spp.
3. Polystichum spp.
4. AustraliaSticherus spp.

nounany of various ferns of the genera Dryopteris or Polystichum or Lastreopsis having somewhat shield-shaped coverings on the sori

Similar

Broader

Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

From the shape of the indusia that cover the fern's sori (spores).

German Schildfarn

Cite this entry

APA

shield fern. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shield%20fern

MLA

“shield fern.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shield%20fern. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shield fern,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shield%20fern.