Southern Maidenhair Fern
The southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) is a delicate fern with fan-shaped leaflets on black, wiry stalks, growing on damp, shady cliffs and seeps in warm regions around the world. The name means 'hair of Venus'.
The southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) is a delicate fern with fan-shaped leaflets on black, wiry stalks, growing on damp, shady cliffs and seeps in warm regions around the world. The name means "hair of Venus".
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Southern Maidenhair Fern in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Diaphoretickes lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Leaves That Shed Water
The genus name Adiantum comes from a Greek word for "unwetted". The leaflets repel water, and raindrops roll off them. Waxy surfaces and fine surface structures cause this effect.
A Spring-Fed Habitat
The fern grows on moist limestone and walls where water seeps out, and in sheltered caves and wells. Its spores germinate into tiny heart-shaped gametophytes that need moisture to be fertilized.
Used in Medicine and Gardens
It has been used in traditional medicine for coughs and as a hair tonic. It is a popular houseplant that is fussy about moisture. See Ostrich Fern.
Southern Maidenhair Fern at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Adiantum capillus-veneris |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Polypodiopsida |
| Order | Polypodiales |
| Family | Pteridaceae |
| Field Guide group | Diaphoretickes: Plants & Algae |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Delicate fan-shaped leaflets on shiny black wiry stalks; grows on damp limestone and waterfalls; water beads off its leaflets. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018 |
| Group | Ferns |
| Habitat | Damp calcareous rock and seeps |