Athyrium filix-femina
| Athyrium filix-femina | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Athyrium filix-femina (common name: lady fern)
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.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant[1], 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[2]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist sheltered site with moderately high atmospheric humidity[2].
A very ornamental [3] and polymorphic species, there are many named varieties selected for their ornamental value[4].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
Range: Throughout the N. Temperate zone, including Britain, to the mountains of India, tropical S. America.
Habitat: Moist sheltered woods, hedgebanks and ravines[1], usually on acidic soils but also found in drier and more open habitats[4].
Edibility: Young shoots, harvested before they have fully unfolded, can be eaten cooked[6]. They must not be eaten raw - see the notes above on toxicity[7]. Used in spring, they are a bitter emergency food[7].
Rhizome - peeled and slow-baked[8][9]. 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[6].
Medicinal: A tea of the boiled stems has been used to relieve labour pains[10][11][9]. The young unfurled fronds have been eaten to treat internal ailments such as cancer of the womb[9].
The roots are anthelmintic and diuretic[1][11]. A tea of the boiled roots has been used to treat general body pains[10][9], to stop breast pains caused by childbirth and to induce milk flow in caked breasts[11][9]. The dried powdered root has been applied externally to heal sores[11][9]. A liquid extract of the root is an effective anthelmintic, though it is less powerful than the male fern, Dryopteris felix-mas[1].
Usage: A good ground cover plant[2], forming a slowly spreading clump[12]. The cultivar 'Minor' has a denser habit and spreads more freely, making a better cover[12].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
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 proble
Also Known As: Asplenium felix-femina
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.