Dryopteris filix-mas
Has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit. (1993)
A native, male fern found naturally in moist woodlands around the UK. This large, deciduous fern has feathery, green fronds which form a distinctive, shuttlecock shape and turn coppery in autumn. It makes a fine companion for shade-loving woodland plants, especially other ferns, and when its leaves die back, the space can be filled with early flowering spring bulbs such as snowdrops.