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Athyriaceae
Alpine Lady Fern
Athyrium distentifolium
Secret and shelter.
- Family
- Athyriaceae
- Genus
- Athyrium
- Native to
- Northern Europe, Arctic regions, Mountain regions worldwide
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- fern
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade to full shade
- Soil
- Moist, acidic, humus-rich soil
- Water
- high
- Hardiness
- 2-6
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- As a fern, Alpine Lady Fern does not actually produce flowers; instead it reproduces via spores found on the underside of its fronds.
- The round sori (spore clusters) lack the protective covering found in common Lady Fern, helping distinguish the two species.
- It can thrive in the harsh conditions above the tree line where few other ferns survive.
- During the Victorian era, 'pteridomania' or fern fever swept Britain, and alpine ferns were among the most prized specimens.
- Its fronds unfurl in a characteristic fiddle-head shape each spring, which is edible in many fern species though not commonly eaten in this one.
Color meanings
0
sincerity
1
fascination