Athyrium ( lady-fern) is a genus of about 180 species of terrestrial , with a cosmopolitan distribution. It is placed in the family Athyriaceae, in the order Polypodiales.[
Its genus name is from Greek Privative a ('without') and Latinized Greek thyreos ('shield'), describing its inconspicuous indusium (sorus' covering).]
The common name "lady fern" refers in particular to the common lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina.[Entry "lady fern", New Oxford American Dictionary 3rd edition (2010) by Oxford University Press, Inc.]
Athyrium species are used as food plants by the of some Lepidoptera species including the small angle shades and Sthenopis auratus.
Species
There are about 180, including:
External links