Northern Maidenhair Fern, native to moist woods throughout Eastern U.S. (except Florida), is a lovely addition to any wooded landscaped area, with its wire-like reddish brown-to-black stems and drooping, frilly fronds that start to grow outward in a flat whorl. Fiddleheads are pinkish/purple. Averaging 12-18 inches tall, it will thrive in consistently moist, humusy soil, and requires little sunlight. Clump-forming, it nevertheless can spread by rhizomes into attractive colonies.
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Adiantum pedatum
Key Info
Scientific Name: Adiantum pedatum L.
Common Names: Maidenhair Fern, Northern Maidenhair
Family Names: Pteridaceae (Maidenhair Fern Family)
Plant Type: Fern
Moisture Requirement: Medium
Bloom Times: n/a
Flower Color: n/a
Special Characteristics: Tolerates full shade
Additional Info
Habit: Valued for the perfect geometric circles of fronds; new fronds emerge from spreading rootstock.
Height: 8-20"
Spread: 8-20"
Soil Conditions: Average to moist, rich, well drained
Leaves: Semi-decidious Fan like rings of Pinnae
Flowers (or reproductive structures: Spores are produced on the fertile fronds
Fruit: Spores, maturing in late summer and fall.
Natural Distribution: Moist, woods, rich shaded areas, rocky springs
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FAC
Pollination: n/a
Wildlife Connections: Cover for small mammals, toads and lizards.
Propagation: Root division is best, but by spores in late summer and fall.