Athyrium filix-femina subsp. angustum f. rubellum ‘Lady in Red’

Red-stemmed Lady Fern Athyriaceae

A particularly handsome lady fern, selected for its extraordinary wine-red to burgundy stipes, which provide a striking contrast to the fresh, finely cut green fronds. The colour develops more strongly as the plant becomes established and is best expressed with reasonable light; in deep shade the red is considerably subdued. Slowly spreading at first, it eventually forms a substantial, elegant clump.

‘Lady in Red’ arose as a chance volunteer in Massachusetts, found by the New England Wild Flower Society among plants of the northern lady fern. It was subsequently brought into horticulture by John Lynch and was introduced commercially around 2000. The selection is generally associated with Athyrium filix-femina subsp. angustum, the North American northern lady fern, rather than the European A. filix-femina in its strict sense. The epithet angustum refers to the narrower northern form, whose natural range extends from Greenland and eastern Canada southwards through the northern and eastern United States. 

The nomenclature is variously presented as Athyrium filix-femina ‘Lady in Red’, A. filix-femina subsp. angustum f. rubellum ‘Lady in Red’, and A. angustum ‘Lady in Red’. The RHS currently favours the first of these as the cultivar name but places it botanically under subsp. angustum f. rubellum. It has occasionally, and incorrectly, been sold as Athyrium niponicum ‘Lady in Red’—a confusion best avoided.

• Height: 60–90 cm
• Spread: 60–80 cm

• Hardiness: H6, -20 to -15°C

• Sporulation: July–September