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Athyrium filix-femina
Also called Common Ladyfern, Ladyfern, Subarctic Ladyfern
Lady fern is a large, feathery, clump-forming perennial fern from damp, shady woodland across temperate Asia, Europe, North America and North Africa. It is grown for its graceful fronds and thrives in cool, moist, shaded conditions.
Athyrium filix-femina, the lady fern or common lady-fern, is a large, feathery species of fern native to temperate Asia, Europe, North America, and North Africa. It is often abundant (one of the more common ferns) in damp, shady woodland environments and is often grown for decoration.
Its common names "lady fern" and "female fern" refer to how its reproductive structures (sori) are concealed in an inconspicuous – deemed "female" – manner on the frond. Alternatively, it is said to be feminine because of its elegant and graceful appearance.
Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
A. filix-femina 'Vernoniae'
Athyrium filix-femina is very hardy, tolerating temperatures well below −20 °C (−4 °F) throughout its range.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Athyrium filix-femina by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
