Lady Fern You may
have Lady fern in your own house. Many people use
it to decorate their homes. You may see it hanging
or potted. People in Victorian times were crazy
about Lady fern. However, Lady fern is not only
found in the house. It also grows in the wild,
especially in deciduous
forests
and the taiga
of North America and Eurasia. Lady Fern
is a deciduous, perennial fern about 24 to 36
inches tall. Its light green, lacy leaves are about
24 to 30" long and 6 to 9" wide and tapered at both
ends. The fronds are cut twice and In the wild, Lady ferns can be found growing in meadows, open thickets, moist woods, and along stream beds. They also grow in the cracks of rocks. In the taiga it usually grows in the understory of white spruce, black spruce, Douglas-fir and western hemlock. Lady ferns prefer shaded areas. Many Lady ferns will grow in a group in the shape of a circle. As they grow farther and farther outwards, the centers die away, leaving a ring of Lady Ferns. Lady ferns reproduce by thick, scaly rhizomes and spores. They grow in most semi-shaded areas. Grizzly bears like to eat Lady ferns as a major food source. Elk will also eat it also. Native Americans had many uses for Lady ferns. They used lady ferns for drying berries on, and covering food. The young shoots, or fiddleheads, were cooked, baked or eaten raw. Tea was made from the leaves to help urination and to stop breast pain caused by childbirth. The tea was also used to ease labour pains. Roots were dried and ground into a dust to help heal wounds. Oil from the roots of Lady ferns has been used since the 1st century AD to get rid of worms. An overdose could cause weakness, coma, and often blindness. Lady ferns are a dominant plant in the understory of the taiga, and will cover the forest floor. It is not an endangered plant. 2002
bibliography: "Lady Fern", http://members.eb.com, (6/18/00) "Lady Fern", http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/ferns/athyriumfil.html "Athyrium filix-famina", http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/fern/athfil/ Athyrium filix-famina &endash; Lady Fern", http://www.borealforest.org/ferns/fern1.htm
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