Deparia petersenii

Petersen's Lady Fern  Athyriaceae

A handsome, rather underused fern forming a spreading clump of fresh green, finely divided fronds. The foliage is particularly attractive when grown beside a stream or in cool woodland, where the soft texture and arching habit give it something of the character of a large, refined Lady Fern. There is considerable variation in size and frond form across its extensive range — enough to keep fern taxonomists gainfully employed — and plants from different regions can look surprisingly unlike one another. In China it is particularly associated with evergreen broad-leaved forest and stream margins, generally below 2500 m, although it has been recorded as high as 3600 m in Sichuan. 

Its natural range is remarkably broad, extending from the western and eastern Himalaya through India, Nepal, China, Korea and Japan, southwards through Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan to the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea and Vanuatu, with outlying populations in the Mascarenes including Mauritius and Réunion. (

Originally described as Asplenium petersenii by Kunze in 1837, it has subsequently appeared under Athyrium, Athyriopsis, Diplazium and Lunathyrium. M. Kato transferred it to Deparia in 1977. Kew currently accepts Deparia petersenii and recognises four subspecies.

• Height: 60–100 cm

• Hardiness: H5–H6, approximately -20 to -15°C

• Spread: 60–100 cm
• Foliage: Deciduous to semi-evergreen
• Position: Partial shade to shade
• Soil: Moist, humus-rich, preferably never allowed to become dry
• Range: Himalaya and India through China, Korea and Japan to tropical Asia, New Guinea and Vanuatu; also Mauritius and Réunion
• Nomenclature: Deparia petersenii (Kunze) M.Kato, 1977
• Basionym: Asplenium petersenii Kunze, 1837
• Important synonyms: Athyrium petersenii, Athyriopsis petersenii, Diplazium petersenii, Lunathyrium petersenii