Name: |
- Athyrium , from the Greek, a, "without", qureos
(thureos), "shield"
- filix-femina, from the Latin, "fern-feminine"
- Common Name, an anglicized version of the Latin species name
- Other common names include Northern Lady Fern, Athyrium Fougère-femelle
(Qué), Skogburkne (Nor), Majbräken
(Swe), Fjerbregne (Dan), Soreahiirenporras, Hiirenporras
(Fin), Fjöllaufungur (Is), Wald-Frauenfarn, Gemeiner
Waldfarn (Ger), Raineach Moire (Gaelic)
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Taxonomy: |
- Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
- Division Polypodiophyta, the True Ferns
- Class Filicopsida
- Order Polypodiales
- Family Dryopteridaceae
- Genus Athyrium, the Lady Ferns
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 17413
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Description: |
- A lacy, deciduous, densely clumping, perennial fern, 24"-36"
tall.
- Fronds monomorphic, bright green, tufted, erect,
24"-36" long, 6-9" wide
- Petiole (leaf stalk) tan, reddish or brownish,
scales brown to dark brown, linear-lanceolate.
- Blade elliptic, broadest near or just below middle,
twice-cut
- Pinnae (primary leaflets) short-stalked or sessile,
lanceolate
- Pinnules (secondary leaflets) deeply cut, linear
to oblong
- Rootstalk stout, chaffy.
- Sori clustered at the pinnule base, straight, less
frequently hooked or horseshoe-shaped; sporangial stalks bearing glandular
hairs; indusia irregularly dentate, more or less ciliate. Ripen midsummer.
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Identification: |
- Distinguished from Spinulose Woodfern (Dryopteris
carthusiana) by its elongate, sometimes curved (rather than
round) sori, which are covered by an indusium attached on one side
- Field Marks
- lacy, twice cut fronds
- undersides of the leaf segments carry pale J-shaped sori
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Distribution: |
- Circumpolar; Alaska to Labrador and Greenland, south in North America
to Saskatchewan, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia,
and North Carolina.
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Habitat: |
- Meadows, open thickets, moist woods, and occasionally swamps.
- Can colonize cracks in rocks and crevices between rocks, as a pioneer
species. More frequently occurs as a dominant on perennially wet soil
with other herbs. Can survive severe battering if roots are protected
and in constant contact with water.
- Major competitor in boreal and sub-boreal spruce forests. Commonly
grows in the understory of White Spruce (Picea
glauca) and Black Spruce (Picea
mariana).
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Fire: |
- Often occurs on wet sites that burn infrequently. Top-killed by fire,
it resprouts from surviving rhizomes.
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Associates: |
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History: |
- One of the most popular ferns during the Victorian fern craze.
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Uses: |
- A common landscape and garden plant.
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Reproduction: |
- Reproduces by spores and vegetatively by rhizomes
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Propagation: |
- Division most successful method. Divide clumps in spring every few
years and reposition crowns at soil level.
- Can be propagated from spores.
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Cultivation: |
- A light green, fine textured, deciduous perennial; good for background
foliage, naturalizing, woodland massing, and watersides. Easy to grow.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 2 (average minimum annual temperature -50ºF)
- Cultural Requirements
- Full shade to partial shade or partial sun; full sun on wet sites
- Rich, moist to wet, well-drained soil
- Fertilization unnecessary
- Growth rate moderate
- 2'-3' H x 1'-2' W
- Spacing 18"-24"
- Shelter from wind to protect fronds from breaking.
- A highly variable species, with numerous varieties taken into cultivation,
some extremely odd in appearance. More than 300 cultivars have made
their way to the market.
- Available by mail order from specialty suppliers or at local nurseries.
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Links: |
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Comments: |
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Last Updated on
26 February, 2004
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