Lady Fern |
Lady Fern |
Athyrium filix-femina |
Wood Fern Family --- Dryopteridaceae |
Leaves, in upright circular groups, are pale green and taper at both the tip and
base. Twice-divided with lance-shaped, stalkless, pointed leaflets. Subleaflets
small, toothed, blunt-tipped and tend to peter-out towards the tip of the leaflet.
Leaf stalks grooved and scaly towards the base. |
Up to 3 feet tall, this perennial fern generally grows in wooded swampy areas, but
can be found in roadside ditches (wet) and among hardwood stands. |
The small spore-producing structures (sori) on the subleaflet undersurface are kidney-shaped
and inset from the margin. |
� Pathology Images Inc. 2001 & 2002 |