Can sword fern be eaten? The nutritional facts and crucial safety precautions for foragers
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                Did you know that while over 10,500 species of ferns exist, only a tiny fraction are safely edible, making precise identification a life-or-death skill when considering the question, **can sword fern be eaten?**. Historically consumed by indigenous peoples for food and medicine, the Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) is not without its risks for the inexperienced forager.