Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
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Finer, softer and more delicate than male fern — and one of the first to collapse in autumn.
An elegant fern with soft, pale green, finely divided fronds, much more delicately cut and less leathery than male fern, arranged in a loose shuttlecock. Lady fern grows in damp shaded woodland, along burn sides and on wet banks around Dumfries, preferring wetter, more sheltered ground than male fern.
Behaviour
The fronds are thin-textured and lack the leathery toughness of male and buckler ferns, so they scorch in exposed positions and collapse early in autumn — often the first fern in a wood to go over. Spores are borne in elongated, slightly curved clusters, which distinguishes it from the kidney-shaped clusters of Dryopteris. The 'lady' name simply contrasts with the coarser male fern.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Lady ferns (Athyriaceae)
- Frond
- 40–120 cm, finely divided
- Status
- Native; common in damp shaded woodland
Photo by No machine-readable author provided, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons