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Athyrium filix-femina

Common name:	Lady Fern	Family:	Polypodiaceae
Author:	(L.)Roth. ex Mert.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Polypodium filix-femina (L.), Asplenium filix-femina ((L.)Bernh.)
Known Hazards:	The fresh shoots contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase[172]. Although we have found no reports for this species, a number of ferns also contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable[200].
Range:	Throughout the N. Temperate zone, including Britain, to the mountains of India, tropical S. America.
Habitat:	Moist sheltered woods, hedgebanks and ravines[4], usually on acidic soils but also found in drier and more open habitats[187].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. alpestre var. cyclosorum[B,P] A. angustum var. boreale[B,P] A. angustum var. elatius[B,P] A. asplenioides[B,P] A. felix-femina[HORTIPLEX] A. filix-femina ssp. asplenioides[B,P] A. filix-femina ssp. cyclosorum[B,CPHOTO,CAL,CAL,P] A. filix-femina var. asplenioides[B,P] A. filix-femina var. californicum[B,P] A. filix-femina var. cyclosorum[B,P] A. filix-femina var. sitchense[B,P] A. filixfemina[H] Asplenium filix-faemina[H] Asplenium filix-foemina[E]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Asplenium Ladyfern [P], Common Ladyfern [P], Disi Egrelti Otu [E], Lady Fern [FEIS,H], Lady-fern [L], Subarctic Lady Fern [B], Subarctic Ladyfern [P], Wijfjesvaren [D],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Polypodiales. Polypody family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Turkey

Physical Characteristics

A decidious fern growing to 0.6m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 2. The seeds ripen from July to August. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root.

Young shoots, harvested before they have fully unfolded, can be eaten cooked[256]. They must not be eaten raw - see the notes above on toxicity[172]. Used in spring, they are a bitter emergency food[172].
Rhizome - peeled and slow-baked[118, 257]. Reports that the root of this plant were eaten by native North American Indians are likely to be mistaken, it was probably Dryopteris expansa that was used[256].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic Diuretic Poultice Women's complaints.

A tea of the boiled stems has been used to relieve labour pains[213, 222, 257]. The young unfurled fronds have been eaten to treat internal ailments such as cancer of the womb[257].
The roots are anthelmintic and diuretic[4, 222]. A tea of the boiled roots has been used to treat general body pains[213, 257], to stop breast pains caused by childbirth and to induce milk flow in caked breasts[222, 257]. The dried powdered root has been applied externally to heal sores[222, 257]. A liquid extract of the root is an effective anthelmintic, though it is less powerful than the male fern, Dryopteris felix-mas[4].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A good ground cover plant[200], forming a slowly spreading clump[208]. The cultivar 'Minor' has a denser habit and spreads more freely, making a better cover[208].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant[4], it is calcifuge and prefers an acid soil with a pH from 4.5 to 6.5, but it tolerates alkaline soils if plenty of leaf mould is added[200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist sheltered site with moderately high atmospheric humidity[200].
A very ornamental [1] and polymorphic species, there are many named varieties selected for their ornamental value[187].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Spores - surface sow in a pot of sterile compost in a shady part of the greenhouse and keep moist, this is most easily done by putting the pot in a plastic bag. Pot up small clumps of the plants when they are large enough to handle and keep them moist until they are established. Plant out in late spring of the following year.
Division in spring as plants come into growth. Larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.

Cultivars

'Minor': This cultivar has a denser habit and spreads more freely, making a better ground cover plant than the species[208].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[L] Scientific and Common Names (some photos) from Lepidoptera and some other life forms
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Asplenium filix-faemina (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Asplenium filix-foemina (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Athyrium felix-femina (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Athyrium filix-femina ssp. cyclosorum (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for athyrium filix-femina (a possible synonym).

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[118] Gunther. E. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press 1981 ISBN 0-295-95258-X
A small book, it is a good guide to useful plants in Western N. America.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[256] Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1
Excellent little handbook about the native food plants of Western Canada. Good descriptions of the plants and their uses with colour photos of most plants.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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