User:Tyler.Flathau



= Athyrium asplenioides = Athyrium asplenioides, also known as the southern shield fern, is a deciduous fern that usually has dark brown spores that are wrinkled, ovate blade tips, and dispersed scales on its leaves. Athyrium asplenioides belongs to the taxonomical family Athyriaceae. Due to there being four variations of this fern, it is not only native to the southern parts of the United States, but it can be found as far north as New England.

Athyrium asplenioides has a short-creeping rootstock which can either be ascending or erect with blades that range from 20 to 90 centimeters long and 15 to 30 centimeters wide. The pinnae tend to be 15 centimeters long and 3 centimeters wide with narrow, pointed tips. The lowest few pairs have a tendency to be shorter than the rest above them. There are multiple habitats for Athyrium asplenioides, but live majority in wetlands across the United States.

A large number of botanists considered it a variety of the common lady-fern, which then changed it to Athyrium filix-femina(L.) Roth, var. asplenioides(Michx.) Farwell.