Maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris, Sp. Pl.: 1096 (1753))

Family: Pteridaceae

Author: L.

Bibliography: Sp. Pl.: 1096 (1753)

Year: 1753

Status: accepted

Rank: species

Genus: Adiantum

Vegetable: Unknown

Observations: Cosmopolitan

Description

The Maidenhair fern, scientifically known as Adiantum capillus-veneris, is a delicate and graceful fern that belongs to the Pteridaceae family. It was first described and classified by Carl Linnaeus in his seminal work “Species Plantarum” published in 1753. This fern is part of a cosmopolitan lineage, found across a wide range of regions around the world.

A quintessential feature of the Maidenhair fern is its soft, feathery fronds that arch elegantly, creating a cascading effect. The fronds are light and airy, with a distinctive fan shape, and they grow on black wiry stems, which add to the plant’s elegant appearance. This makes the plant not only a beautiful addition to indoor gardens and conservatories but also a popular choice for shaded outdoor areas.

Adaptable to various environmental conditions, the Maidenhair fern thrives in humid and shaded locations, often flourishing alongside streams and in moist, forested areas. It requires well-drained, rich soil and benefits from high humidity levels, which mimic its natural habitat. Given the right conditions, this fern can be quite resilient, although it is sensitive to dry air and direct sunlight which can cause the foliage to brown and wither.

Gardeners and plant enthusiasts appreciate the Maidenhair fern not only for its aesthetic appeal but also for its manageable care requirements. Regular misting or a humidifier can help maintain the high humidity levels it prefers, while indirect lighting ensures it remains vibrant and healthy. It is also known for its air-purifying qualities, making it an excellent plant to grow indoors for improved air quality.

In the context of botanical history, the Maidenhair fern holds a venerable spot with a heritage that dates back to its earliest classifications. It stands as a testament to the elegance and diversity of the Pteridaceae family. Whether gracing a woodland garden or a living room corner, the Maidenhair fern continues to captivate with its dainty, verdant foliage and timeless charm.

Common Names

Deu: echter frauenhaarfarn, venushaarfarn, frauenhaarfarn
Eng: maidenhair fern, venus’s hair fern, venus’s maidenhair, common maidenhair, common maidenhair fern, southern maidenhair, venus hairfern, southern maidenhair fern, venus maidenhair fern, venus’ hair-fern, venus’-hair fern, venushair
Ara: kuzbarat al-bir, كزبرة البئر
Swe: venushår
Hun: vénuszhajpáfrány
Nld: echt venushaar, venushaar
Fra: adiante cheveux-de-vénus, capillaire cheveu-de-vénus, capillaire de montpellier, cheveu-de-venus, capillaire, cheveu-de-vénus
Cym: briger gwener, briger gweno, diwlith, diwlydd, gwallt gwener
Ita: capelvenere comune
En: Maidenhair fern, Venus’s hair fern, Venus’s maidenhair, Southern maidenhair, Common maidenhair, Maidenhair, Venus hair., Venus hairfern, Common maidenhair fern, Venus’ Hair-fern, Venushair, Southern maidenhair fern, Venus maidenhair fern, Venus’-hair fern, Hair-of-Venus, True Maidenhair
Af: Nooienshaarvaring
Sq: Majdanozi i egër
Ar: Kuzbarat al-bir, شعر البنات (شَعرالبَنات), شعر العجوز ( شَعرالعَجوز), كزبره البير(كُزبرة البير), كزبرة البئر
Hy: Ադիանտում Վեներայի վարս
Az: Zöhrətüklü adiant
Eu: Garaizka arrunt
Be: Адыянтум венерын волас
Bg: Венерин косъм
Ca: Falzia, Adiant, Capil·lera, Falguerola
Zh: 鐵線蕨
Cs: Netík Venušin vlas
Nl: Echt venushaar, Venushaar, Vrouwenhaar
Fi: Neidonadiantumi
Fr: Capillaire cheveu-de-Vénus, Capillaire de Montpellier, Cheveu-de-venus, Adiante cheveux-de-Vénus, Capillaire, Cheveu-de-Vénus, Cheveux de Vénus
Gl: Capilaria
De: Frauenhaarfarn, Echter Frauenhaarfarn, Venushaarfarn, Frauenhaarfarn, Venushaar, Venushaarfarn
El: Αδίαντο
He: שערות שולמית מצויות, שערות-שולמית מצויות
Hu: Vénuszhajpáfrány
Ga: Dúchosach
It: Capelvenere comune
Kk: Шолпаншаш сүмбілі
Ko: 봉작고사리
Nv: Tséłnííʼjí
Fa: پرسیاوشان
Pl: Niekropień właściwy
Pt: Avenca
Ru: Адиантум венерин волос
Sr: Венерина влас
Sd: پرسياوشان
Sk: Adiant Venušin
Es: Culantrillo de gruta, Culantrillo de pozo, Cabello de Venus
Sv: Venushår
Zh-tw: 鐵線蕨
To: ʻUluʻitāupoʻou
Uk: Адіант венерин волос
Uz: Boldirqora
Cy: Briger Gwener, Briger Gweno, Diwlith, Diwlydd, Gwallt Gwener

Synonyms

• Adiantum modestum (Underw.)
• Adiantum pseudocapillus (Fée)
• Adiantum capillaceum (Dulac)
• Adiantum schaffneri (E.Fourn.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. fissum (Christ)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. trifidum ((Willd. ex Bolle) Milde)
• Adiantum maderense (Lowe)
• Adiantum subemarginatum (Christ)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. magnificum (W.Bull)
• Adiantum visianii (Schloss. & Vuk.)
• Adiantum fumarioides (Willd.)
• Adiantum marginatum (Schrad.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. polyhymnia (Lowe)
• Adiantum rimicola (Sloss.)
• Adiantum moritzianum (Link)
• Adiantum repandum (Tausch)
• Adiantum fontanum (Salisb.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris f. fissum ((Christ) Ching)
• Adiantum coriandrifolium (Lam.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. kenyense (Chiov.)
• Adiantum remyanum (Espinosa)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris f. cristatum (Moxley)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. laciniatum (Christ ex Tardieu & C.Chr.)
• Adiantum cuneifolium (Stokes)
• Adiantum africanum (R.Br.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. imbricatum (Pynaert)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. modestum ((Underw.) Fernald)
• Adiantum lingii (Ching)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris f. rimicola ((Sloss.) Fernald)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. protrusum (Fernald)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. grande (Pynaert)
• Adiantum diaphanum var. affine ((Willd.) Alderw.)
• Adiantum michelii (Christ)
• Adiantum emarginatum (Bory ex Willd.)
• Adiantum affine (Willd.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris subsp. trifidum ((Willd. ex Bolle) Rivas Mart., Lousã, J.C.Costa & Maria C.Duarte)
• Adiantum capillus (Sw.)
• Adiantum capillus-veneris var. daphnites (W.Bull)
• Adiantum paradiseae (Baker)
• Adiantum trifidum (Willd. ex Bolle)
• Adiantum formosum ((J.Rémy) Gay)

Distribution

• Afghanistan (native)
• Alabama (native)
• Albania (native)
• Algeria (native)
• Angola (native)
• Arizona (native)
• Arkansas (native)
• Assam (native)
• Azores (native)
• Bahamas (native)
• Baleares (native)
• Bangladesh (native)
• Belize (native)
• Botswana (native)
• Brazil North (native)
• Brazil Northeast (native)
• Brazil South (native)
• Brazil Southeast (native)
• British Columbia (native)
• Bulgaria (native)
• California (native)
• Cambodia (native)
• Canary Is. (native)
• Cape Provinces (native)
• Cape Verde (native)
• Chad (native)
• Chile Central (native)
• Chile North (native)
• China North-Central (native)
• China South-Central (native)
• China Southeast (native)
• Colorado (native)
• Comoros (native)
• Corse (native)
• Cuba (native)
• Cyprus (native)
• Djibouti (native)
• East Himalaya (native)
• Egypt (native)
• Ethiopia (native)
• Fiji (native)
• Florida (native)
• France (native)
• Free State (native)
• Georgia (native)
• Great Britain (native)
• Greece (native)
• Guatemala (native)
• Gulf States (native)
• Haiti (native)
• Hawaii (native)
• Honduras (native)
• India (native)
• Iran (native)
• Iraq (native)
• Ireland (native)
• Italy (native)
• Jamaica (native)
• Japan (native)
• Kazakhstan (native)
• Kentucky (native)
• Kenya (native)
• Korea (native)
• Kriti (native)
• Krym (native)
• KwaZulu-Natal (native)
• Laos (native)
• Lebanon-Syria (native)
• Lesotho (native)
• Lesser Sunda Is. (native)
• Libya (native)
• Louisiana (native)
• Madagascar (native)
• Madeira (native)
• Malawi (native)
• Malaya (native)
• Mali (native)
• Maryland (native)
• Mauritania (native)
• Mauritius (native)
• Mexico Central (native)
• Mexico Gulf (native)
• Mexico Northeast (native)
• Mexico Northwest (native)
• Mexico Southeast (native)
• Mexico Southwest (native)
• Mississippi (native)
• Missouri (native)
• Morocco (native)
• Mozambique (native)
• Myanmar (native)
• Namibia (native)
• Nansei-shoto (native)
• Nepal (native)
• Nevada (native)
• New Caledonia (native)
• New Mexico (native)
• New South Wales (native)
• New York (native)
• Niger (native)
• Nigeria (native)
• North Carolina (native)
• North Caucasus (native)
• Northern Territory (native)
• Ohio (native)
• Oklahoma (native)
• Oman (native)
• Pakistan (native)
• Palestine (native)
• Peru (native)
• Philippines (native)
• Portugal (native)
• Puerto Rico (native)
• Queensland (native)
• Rodrigues (native)
• Réunion (native)
• Samoa (native)
• Sardegna (native)
• Saudi Arabia (native)
• Sicilia (native)
• Sinai (native)
• Society Is. (native)
• Socotra (native)
• Somalia (native)
• South Australia (native)
• South Carolina (native)
• South Dakota (native)
• Spain (native)
• Sri Lanka (native)
• Sudan (native)
• Swaziland (native)
• Switzerland (native)
• Tadzhikistan (native)
• Taiwan (native)
• Tanzania (native)
• Tennessee (native)
• Texas (native)
• Thailand (native)
• Tibet (native)
• Tonga (native)
• Transcaucasus (native)
• Trinidad-Tobago (native)
• Tubuai Is. (native)
• Tunisia (native)
• Turkey (native)
• Turkey-in-Europe (native)
• Uganda (native)
• Utah (native)
• Uzbekistan (native)
• Venezuela (native)
• Victoria (native)
• Vietnam (native)
• Virginia (native)
• West Himalaya (native)
• Western Australia (native)
• Windward Is. (native)
• Yemen (native)
• Yugoslavia (native)
• Zambia (native)
• Zaïre (native)
• Zimbabwe (native)
• Austria (introduced)
• Belgium (introduced)
• Czechoslovakia (introduced)
• Netherlands (introduced)

Additional Images

Leaf

Taken Jul 1, 2021 by Alain Bigou (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 5, 2017 by Llandrich anna (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 29, 2021 by David Hocken (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 6, 2020 by Sánchez García Juan P. (cc-by-sa)

Taken Aug 7, 2018 by Rod Grad (cc-by-sa)

Habit

Taken Dec 1, 2020 by Monteiro Henrique (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 20, 2021 by Emanuele Santarelli (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jun 3, 2020 by Alain Bigou (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jul 1, 2021 by Alain Bigou (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 7, 2022 by Acosta García Isabel (cc-by-sa)

Bark

Taken Mar 20, 2021 by Ros Juan (cc-by-sa)

Taken Apr 29, 2019 by Andrea Nice (cc-by-sa)

Taken Nov 6, 2015 by EOL − Rebecca Cowser (cc-by-nc)

Taken May 4, 2017 by Antoine AFFOUARD (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 5, 2017 by Llandrich anna (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Taken Nov 17, 2022 by David Hutt (cc-by-sa)

Taken Dec 21, 2011 by Tela Botanica − Yoan MARTIN (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 5, 2017 by Llandrich anna (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 5, 2017 by Llandrich anna (cc-by-sa)

Other

Taken Jan 1, 1800 by Tela Botanica − Thierry Pernot (cc-by-sa)

Taken Jan 1, 1800 by Tela Botanica − Thierry Pernot (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 4, 2017 by Antoine AFFOUARD (cc-by-sa)

Taken May 4, 2017 by Antoine AFFOUARD (cc-by-sa)

Taken Sep 25, 2022 by gimemez iranzo (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Taken Nov 12, 2022 by rene laurens (cc-by-sa)

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Sources

• WFO (No URL)
• IPNI (No URL)
• GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/2651816)
• POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:325030-2)
• PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Adiantum capillus-veneris L.)

Specifications

Growth