Athyriaceae: Athyrium filix-femina

Athyrium filix-femina is a deciduous, perennial fern with a short, stout, creeping rhizome that forms dense clumps but does not spread aggressively. The fronds (leaves) are upright to arching, 0.5–1.2 meters tall, and bright green, with a delicate, lacy appearance; each frond is bipinnate to tripinnate (deeply divided), lance-shaped, and tapers at both ends. The leaf stalk (stipe) is grooved and covered with fine brown scales at the base. Leaflets (pinnae) are oblong-lanceolate, with deeply toothed segments; the overall texture is soft and feathery. Both fertile and sterile fronds are similar in appearance. The reproductive structures (sori) are small, curved, and arranged along the veins on the underside of the fronds, each covered by a thin, curved indusium. Reproduction is by spores, which mature from midsummer to early fall. The spores are released from the sori when mature, and the plant relies on wind for spore dispersal. Lady Fern is native and widespread in South Dakota, found in moist woods, streambanks, seeps, and shady canyons—most frequently in the Black Hills, Coteau des Prairies, and other mesic habitats statewide.