Dryopteris
Male fern: “virile-looking”; Lady fern: displays “female grace and delicacy”. So says a classic book on ferns published in 1908.
Times, of course, have changed. These days, the editor would be reaching for does indeed report that the male fern () generally has a more robust look, a “commanding appearance as it towers over the lesser plants”, and is more “virile-looking”, while the lady fern () displays “female grace and delicacy”.
