Athyrium filix-femina, the lady fern or common lady-fern, is a large, feathery species of fern native to temperate Asia, Europe, North Africa, Canada and the US.[1] It is often abundant (one of the more common ferns) in damp, shady woodland environments and is often grown for decoration.
| Athyrium filix-femina | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| Suborder: | Aspleniineae |
| Family: | Athyriaceae |
| Genus: | Athyrium |
| Species: | A. filix-femina
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| Binomial name | |
| Athyrium filix-femina | |
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.[2] Alternatively, it is said to be feminine because of its elegant and graceful appearance.[3][4]
Description
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Athyrium filix-femina is now commonly split into three species, typical A. filix-femina, A. angustum (narrow lady fern) and A. asplenioides (southern lady fern).
Athyrium filix-femina is cespitose (the fronds arising from a central point as a clump rather than along a rhizome). The deciduous fronds are light yellow-green, 20–90 centimetres (7.9–35.4 in) long and 5–25 cm (2.0–9.8 in) broad. Overall frond shape tends to be elliptical, with the bottom pinnae shorter in length than those in the middle.
Sori appear as narrow ovate dots on the underside of the frond,[5] 1–6 per pinnule. They are covered by a prominently whitish to brown reniform (kidney-shaped) indusium.[4] Fronds are very dissected, being 3-pinnate. The stipe may bear long, pale brown, papery scales at the base. The spores are yellow on A. angustum and dark brown on A. asplenioides.
Habitat
editA. filix-femina is very hardy, tolerating temperatures well below −20 °C (−4 °F) throughout its range.'[6]
In Finland as a native plant, A. filix-femina is at its most abundant in inland lake areas but grows commonly in almost the whole country, excluding Lapland where it is rare. The plant prefers especially mesotrophic eutrophic paludified hardwood-spruce forest (lehtokorpi in Finnish). It is also abundant in coastal groves, sides of creeks and areas with springs. Even though the plant gets easily frostbitten and therefore does not like open areas, it can still be found often also in ditches near roads and fields.[5]
Cultivation and uses
editNumerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
The young fronds are edible after cooking; Native Americans cook both the fiddleheads and the rhizomes.[9]
Names
editThe Finnish name for this plant is hiirenporras, literally meaning "mouse's stair".
References
edit- ^ "Athyrium filix-femina". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, Lady-fern profile Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Wayside and Woodland Blossoms (1895) by Edward Step: "the Male-fern – so-called by our fathers owing to its robust habit as compared with the tender grace of one they called Lady-fern."
- ^ a b Piirainen, Mikko; Piirainen, Pirkko; Vainio, Hannele (1999). Kotimaan luonnonkasvit [Native wild plants] (in Finnish). Porvoo, Finland: WSOY. p. 30. ISBN 951-0-23001-4.
- ^ a b Piirainen, Mikko; Piirainen, Pirkko; Vainio, Hannele (1999). Kotimaan luonnonkasvit [Native wild plants] (in Finnish). Porvoo, Finland: WSOY. p. 34. ISBN 951-0-23001-4.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Athyrium filix-femina". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Athyrium filix-femina 'Vernoniae'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Athyrium filix-femina 'Frizelliae'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Rev. and updated ed.). Seattle, WA: Skipstone. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC 668195076.
Further reading
edit- Hyde, H. A., Wade, A. E., & Harrison, S. G. (1978). Welsh Ferns. National Museum of Wales.
External links
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