Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)

Family: Dryopteridaceae | Edibility: Edible (1/5)

Form: Irregular or sprawling.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Young shoots, harvested before they have fully unfolded, can be eaten cooked. They must not be eaten raw - see the notes above on toxicity. Used in spring, they are a bitter emergency food. Rhizome - peeled and slow-baked. — Young shoots, harvested before they have fully unfolded, can be eaten cooked.; They must not be eaten raw - see the notes above on toxicity.; Used in spring, they are a bitter emergency food.; Rhizome - peeled and slow-baked.

Habitat & North American Range

Moist sheltered woods, hedgebanks and ravines, usually on acidic soils but also found in drier and more open habitats. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)