Southern Maidenhair Fern is a clumping, deciduous fern cultivated worldwide for its delicate, frilly looks and hardy nature. It is native to a huge part of the Earth, in temperate and tropical regions from the Southern half of the U.S. to Central America, South America, Europe, large parts of Asia and Africa, thriving in moist (but not saturated) habitats in warm climates. It is endangered in North Carolina, due to loss of Appalachian habitat. The plant is small, rarely more than 12 inches in height, and attractively delicate with fronds composed of triangular, lobed pinnules held in flat planes which flutter in a breeze. It is found in neutral to basic soils.
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Adiantum capillus veneris
Key Info
Scientific Name: Adiantum capillus-veneris L.
Common Names: Southern Maidenhair Fern, Venus Hair Fern, Venus Maidenhair Fern, Common Maidenhair
Family Names: Pteridaceae (Maidenhair Fern Family)
Plant Type: Fern
Moisture Requirement: Moist well drained
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Bloom Times: n/a
Special Characteristics: Deer resistant, Rhizomatous, Tolerates full shade, Bog Edge Plant, Interesting form
Additional Info
Habit: The fronds arise in clusters from creeping rhizomes, with very delicate, light green fronds much subdivided into pinnae 0.2 to 0.4 in long and broad; the frond rachis is black and wiry.
Height: 6"-20"
Spread: 6"-20"
Soil Conditions: moist well drained, rich sand, loam or limestone, alkaline to neutral pH
Leaves: The leaves are a blueish-green color and water repellent. The petiole and rachis are dark black, glabrous, wiry, and flexuous, the fronds arching or pendent. The ultimate segments of the fronds (pinnules) are fan-shaped with deeply lobed margins.
Fruit: No fruit, spores are evident June/July.
Natural Distribution: temperate climates from warm-temperate to tropical, where the moisture content is high but not saturating.moist sandstone cliffs,in full or partial shade
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FACU (Atlantic & Gulf coastal plain) UPL (Eastern mts & piedmont)
Propagation: Division