Athyrium is a large genus of deciduous ferns, with common names such as lady fern, Japanese painted fern and American glade fern. They generally have shortly linear sori (the spore bodies found on the underside of fertile fronds), with a slight bend at one end, often described as J-shaped.

Athyriums are highly desirable garden ferns, with feathery, finely divided foliage. They are easy to grow, and are best in moist, but not waterlogged, neutral to acidic soil, in shade or partial shade. Plant Athyrium either alongside other ferns or in a mixed woodland-edge planting scheme.

Many forms of Athyrium are native to eastern Asia, but are hardy in Britain, and deserve to be more widely grown. Incidentally, the name Athyrium is thought to originate from the Greek word athoros, which means good at breeding; this refers to the ferns’ ability to propagate readily from its spores.