Kebnat

Polystichum

4 species

In Québec, the genus Polystichum (family Dryopteridaceae) counts 4 species of plants. The stars? Christmas fern, Braun's hollyfern and Hollyfern, the most often observed. The richest region: Capitale-Nationale, with 3 species. Every species has its own page: photos, its season, its habitat and the best places to see it near you.

Species observed by region

Where do the observations come from?

  • Mostly iNaturalist : photos taken by people all over Québec, with the species confirmed by the community.
  • Other public sources : such as eBird for birds and the provincial forest inventories, gathered by GBIF, the global biodiversity data network.
  • What we keep : confirmed observations, with an exact position (not blurred to protect a rare species), that their author allows to be reused.
  • One place counts once : several observations of the same species at the same spot (within 11 m) count as one.
  • So our numbers are lower : than iNaturalist’s total. A region without observations does not mean the species does not live there.

Data downloaded in September 2026.

  1. Capitale-Nationale3
  2. Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine3
  3. Bas-Saint-Laurent2
  4. Mauricie2
  5. Estrie2
  6. Outaouais2
  7. Côte-Nord2
  8. Chaudière-Appalaches2
  9. Laurentides2
  10. Montérégie2
  11. Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean1
  12. Montréal1
  13. Nord-du-Québec1
  14. Laval1
  15. Lanaudière1
  16. Centre-du-Québec1

Polystichum 4

Polypodiales
All2,855Poales529Asterales316Lamiales214Rosales205Caryophyllales204Malpighiales120Asparagales119Brassicales109Ranunculales98Ericales95Fabales91Alismatales74Saxifragales68Polypodiales60Apiales51Dipsacales50Gentianales50Solanales43Fagales38Boraginales33Malvales29Myrtales29Sapindales27Pinales26Liliales22Ophioglossales20Lycopodiales18Geraniales17Cornales14Celastrales12Equisetales9Vitales7Commelinales6Cucurbitales6Nymphaeales5Oxalidales5Piperales5Osmundales4Aquifoliales3Santalales3Selaginellales3Acorales2Buxales2Ceratophyllales2Isoetales2Salviniales2Crossosomatales1Ginkgoales1Hymenophyllales1Laurales1Magnoliales1Marchantiales1Proteales1Schizaeales1
Dryopteridaceae
All60Dryopteridaceae14Cystopteridaceae8Pteridaceae7Thelypteridaceae6Woodsiaceae6Aspleniaceae5Athyriaceae5Polypodiaceae3Dennstaedtiaceae2Onocleaceae2Blechnaceae1Diplaziopsidaceae1
Christmas fern1,685 observations
Braun's hollyfern284 observations
Hollyfern99 observations
Eaton's hollyfern21 observations