Thelypteris puberula is a species of fern known by the common name showy maiden fern. The variety Thelypteris puberula var. sonorensis is known by the common name Sonoran maiden fern. It is native to southwestern North America and Central America, from the foothills and deserts of California and Arizona south through Mexico to Costa Rica. It grows in canyons, streambanks, and seeps in several types of habitat. It is found at 160-1,800 ft (50-550 meters) in elevation.

Thelypteris puberula produces a number of regularly shaped, equally spaced green leaves with many long, flat, lance-shaped leaflets. One leaf may exceed 4.75 feet (1.5 meters) in length, and the thick leaflets may be over 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. The undersides of the leaflets are hairy, especially on the indusia covering the spore-bearing sori.