northern lady fern

Northern lady fern is a relatively large, delicate, perennial fern that rises from a short-creeping rhizome and fibrous roots. The rhizome is sometimes semi-erect and often branched. It usually has the bases of dead stalks still attached. It often forms small colonies.

Sterile and fertile fronds are similar in appearance. The fronds are deciduous, erect, arching, 11½″ to 36″ long, and lacy in appearance. They form a compact, somewhat circular but irregular cluster.

The leaf stem (stipe) is 6″ to 21½″ long, shorter than the leafy portion (blade). It is stout and light green or straw-colored for most of its length. It is flattened at the base and becomes deeply grooved toward the top. At the base it is dark reddish-brown or black, swollen, and has 2 rows of teeth. The stipe is covered with scattered chaffy scales. The scales are brown to dark brown, linear to egg lance-shaped, 5 ⁄16″ to ⅜″ long, and 1 ⁄16″ wide.

The blade is elliptic, 12″ to 30″ long, 4″ to 14″ wide, 1 to 1½ times as long as the stipe. It is pinnately divided into 30 to 40 pairs of leaflets (pinnae). It tapers to a point with concave sides along the tip, and is widest below the middle. The 4^th or 5^th pair of pinnae is the largest pair. Only the lowest two pair are shortened. The lowest pair is conspicuously angled downward. The central axis of the blade (rachis) is pale green and usually hairless, sometimes sparsely glandular or hairy, sometimes with a few scattered scales.

The pinnae are oblong lance-shaped, short stalked or stalkless, and taper to a narrow point with concave sides along the tip. The longest pinnae are up to 8″ long or longer, becoming shorter as they approach the tip. They are deeply, pinnately divided, with 12 to 20 segments (pinnules) per side.

The pinnules are variable. They are linear to oblong, angled at the tip, and asymmetrically wedge-shaped at the base. They are stalkless and may extend along the central axis of the pinna (costa) at the base. They are often deeply lobed (pinnatifid), cut up to halfway or more to the midrib (costule). The upper and lower surfaces are medium green to yellow-green and hairless. The veins visible on the underside are forked. They are free, meaning they do not rejoin but extend all the way to the margin. The margins are minutely toothed, tough, and firm, but elastic.

The rachis, costa, and costule have a V-shaped groove on the top. The groove of the costule connects with the groove of the costa, which connects to the groove of the rachis, which connects to the groove of the stipe.

The reproductive structures are born on the underside of the pinnules near the base. There are several clusters (sora) of spore-bearing cases (sporangia) arranged in one row on each side of the midrib halfway between the midrib and the margin. The sorus is narrowly oblong to linear, usually straight, and sometimes hooked at the end or horseshoe-shaped with the hook curled over a vein. It is covered with a protective veil (indusium). The indusium is the same shape as the sorus. It is irregularly toothed and has a fringe of hairs along the margin. It is attached to one side of the sorus.

There are 64 yellow or brown spores per sporangium.

Fronds 11½″ to 36″ long

Common wood fern (Dryopteris intermedia) fronds are evergreen, not deciduous. The sori are round. The indusia are kidney-shaped and are attached at the base of the notch.

Northwestern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. cyclosorum) scales on the stipe are much larger, up to ¾″ long and 3 ⁄16″ wide. The blade is about 2 times as long as the stipe. It is broadest at or just above the middle. The sorus is always hooked or horseshoe-shaped. The indusium has a fringe of longer hairs along the margin, the hairs as longer or longer than the width of the indusium. The spores are always yellow. It has been reported only once in Minnesota, in Hennepin County.

Spinulose wood fern (Dryopteris carthusiana) fronds are evergreen, not deciduous, and are usually smaller, no more than 30″ long. The sori are round. The indusia are kidney-shaped and are attached at the base of the notch.

Moist. Bottomland forests, moist woods, meadows, thickets, swamps, streambanks. Dappled sunlight to light shade.

July to October

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Common and widespread

There is considerable disagreement on the number and classification of the varieties of Athyrium filix-femina. Four varieties were traditionally recognized. The names of the varieties are one source of disagreement. Various authors have elevated one or more of the varieties to full species status. How many and which ones is another source of disagreement. Of the varieties, only northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) occurs outside of cultivation in Minnesota. When treated as a species, it is Athyrium angustum.

Update
Since 2019, the separation of eastern North American Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum as a distinct species has grown considerably. However, many highly respected sources, including Flora of North America, GRIN, and USDA Plants, have not accepted the change.

Northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum f. rubellum) has a reddish stipe and rachis. The fiddleheads are reddish.

Plant

Frond

Frond

Pinnules

Lady Fern - Athyrium filix femina - Plant TV
Plant TV

Athyrium filix femina
wander van laar

Lady Fern
Joe Addair

Location: Cass County

Location: Cass County