Athyrium asplenioides aka Southern Lady Fern

Athyrium asplenioides is the southern lady fern. This deciduous perennial lives for years but sheds its leaves each year. It is native to the central and eastern United States. Its range spans North Carolina and much of the Southeast. It grows wild in moist woods, meadows, and open thickets. It also grows in swamps and beneath woodland trees. The name asplenioides means it looks like Asplenium. Its fine leaves suit shaded native gardens.

Plants grow 2–3 feet [0.61–0.91 metres] tall and wide. Upright fronds form a round clump that spreads. Rhizomes, or stems below ground, spread the clump. They can form dense ground cover. Light green fronds grow 2–3 feet [0.61–0.91 metres] long. Each can span about 0.83 feet [0.25 metres] across. Their lanceolate shape tapers, with the widest point below the middle. Their pinnate or pinnatifid blades split into parts, giving a lace-like look. Each frond has 20–30 pinnae, or leaflets. These sit apart, not in pairs across from each other. The pointed leaflets split again into small parts called pinnules. Stems range from yellow-green to red-brown and have brown scales.

This fern has no flowers or fruit. It makes new plants through spores, not seeds. Sori lie beneath the pinnules, with covers called indusia. The spores show from May through September. Since the leaves fall each year, leaf cover lasts one season. The plant grows at a moderate rate. Gardeners can also split well-grown clumps to make new plants.

Plant in dappled light, part shade, or deep shade. In full sun, keep the soil moist at all times. It grows in sandy or clay loam rich in organic matter. It takes acid to neutral soil that drains well. Moist to wet ground suits it. This includes sites that flood for part of the year. It also takes drier ground with water at set intervals. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Split clumps in spring every few years. Set the crowns back at soil level.

Use it by streams, woodland ponds, or shaded borders. It also suits rain gardens and other moist, shaded sites. Wild animals find shelter among the fronds. Birds take material for their nests. The plant draws frogs and resists deer and rabbits. It needs little care and has no serious reported problems. Wind can break the fronds, so give them shelter. Fronds may look worn by the middle of summer.