page_title: Athyrium filix-femina
section_title: Cultivation and uses
hierarchical_section_title: Athyrium filix-femina / Cultivation and uses
context_page_description: Athyrium filix-femina, the lady fern or common lady-fern, is a large, feathery species of fern native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere, where it is often abundant in damp, shady woodland environments and is often grown for decoration.
  Its common names "lady fern" and "female fern" refer to how its reproductive structures are concealed in an inconspicuous – deemed "female" – manner on the frond. Alternatively, it is said to be feminine because of its elegant and graceful appearance.
context_section_description: Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
  A. filix-femina
  A. filix-femina 'Vernoniae'
  A. filix-femina 'Frizelliae'
  The rhizomes and young fronds are poisonous when raw, but edible after cooking.
caption: 19th century illustration
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