Athyrium

Forest - Lady Fern ( Athyrium filix- femina )

The woman ferns ( Athyrium ) are a fern genus with about 180 species.

Description

The plants have a perennial, usually short, creeping or ascending rhizome. Some Athyrium tropical species, such as Athyrium oosorum, are also tree ferns, which can reach heights of several meters.

The fertile and sterile fronds are equally diverse. They are green when summer the majority of the species. You are one to three times pinnate to pinnatisect, the Fiederung against the frond tip is less. The style of the fronds are lanceolate to elliptical.

The fronds axis contains two vascular bundles, which are joined at the upper side, so that a U-shaped or crescent- moon-shaped bundle is created.

The sori are located on the bottom of each pinnule in one row between midrib and leaflet edge. They are usually comma-shaped, hook-shaped, horseshoe-shaped to oblong curved straight. The indusia have the same shape as the Sori and have grown laterally. In some species, the indusium is also missing. Because of the elongated shape of the indusia presented to the woman ferns formerly also sometimes in the family of Streifenfarngewächse ( Asplenicaceae ). The shape of the sori is also the main differentiator to the sterile sometimes very similar worm ferns.

Distribution and habitat requirements

The 170 to 200 species of the genus are mainly found in the northern hemisphere, most of them in China, where 127 Lady Fern species have been described. Most of the other is also from Asia. Several come from tropical Africa and Madagascar, a few from North America and Central America, and eventually come also three species of the temperate latitudes of South America. Most species grow on earth.

Types (selection)

In Europe, only two species are:

  • Mountain Lady Fern or Alpine Forest Fern ( Athyrium distentifolium exchange ex Opiz, syn: A. alpestre ( Hoppe) Rylands ), occurs in Europe, Asia, North America and Greenland
  • Forest - Lady Fern ( Athyrium filix- femina (L.) Roth), is found in Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, North, Central and South America

Be planted as an ornamental plant sometimes the ways:

  • Regenbogenfarn or Brokatfarn ( Athyrium niponicum ( Mett. ) Hance ), Origin: China, Manchuria, Korea, Japan, Taiwan
  • Athyrium otophorum ( Miq. ) Koidz, home. , China, Japan
  • Silver Lady Fern (. Athyrium pycnocarpon ( Spreng. ) Tidestr, is also known as Diplazium pycnocarpon ( Spreng. ) M. Broun in the genus Diplazium provided), Origin: Canada, United States
  • Athyrium vidalii ( Franch. & Sav. ) Nakai, Origin: Japan, Korea, Taiwan

Sources and further information

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