PlantFiles: Southern Maidenhair Fern, Common Maidenhair Fern, Venus Hairfern, Venus's Hair
Adiantum capillus-veneris

Ahh,That I could give this fern a double positive...so at home in the bay area that my largest Adiantum sp. I have is a Southern Maidenhair I never bought! It sprouted on it's own from spore in a 5 gallon pot of Cybidium Orchids a few short years ago.Now, it's mostly a fern pot with runners sprouting not only from the top but from every drain hole..giving a very nice cascading fern well over 3' top to bottom and wide.
More wild Maidenhair ferns have sprouted on there own on lava rock bordering my fish pond in the shade. They never need watering and grow soiless by wicking up water through the sponge- like, rock .Interesting is that it always looks lush green,never needing fertilizer,while the pot grown fern does need a boost every now and then in summer.

this plant is on NC USDA endangered plant list

Native to the southern-half of the United States (plus Hawaii and South Dakota), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia), the Azores, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Madagascar, Turkey, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

Considered an endangered species in the state of North Carolina.

Southern Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris, is native to Texas and other States.

I love these. I think I must have let mine dry out too much between waterings though, because it is starting to brown a bit, which makes me sad. They are lovely, delicate plants. I keep mine in somewhat low lighting. They are in front of a window that never gets full sun, and they seem to enjoy it there. I planted them in a large planter to give them room to grow.

This is my favorite fern! I had purchased several of them in the past and tried to grow them in the house - without success. Two years ago a friend was thinning out their garden and gave me a large batch. This time I planted them in large containers and grow them outside in a bright shaded area. They are absolutely beautiful!

I love this fern but it is not doing too well in my house. I recently found out that the maidenhair fern is one of the hardest of its kind to grow due to their delicate leaflets. I tried to make a humid microclimate by adding water to the saucer amongst some rocks (so not to waterlog the plant) and allowing it to evaporate, but it didn't work. Now, most of the fronds are crisp remnants of what they used to be. I'm hoping I can still revive it.

West of Austin, there is a place called Hamilton Pool that has Southern Maidenhair fern growing everywhere. It is a sight to see if you are ever in town.

My husband collected this plant growing under a ledge along the banks of the Blanco River. We brought it home and placed under the rocks of our waterfall....it loves the low light from being tucked in under the rocks and constant water its gets from the water fall.

This beautiful fern grows under the front porch of my house. Every year in summer it retreats under the porch where it stays cool and moist and in the winter it sprouts up 2 to 3 feet out from the porch only to retreat again when the sun gets high in the sky in late spring. I have tried to get this fern established in other areas of my yard, but it doesnt take very well to being moved. I have even bought pots of it at nurseries but these are also slow to establish. It seems to do well wherever ajuga does well in my yard. Great old fashioned fern!

This beautiful native fern is also found in Missouri, but it is usually much more limited in size and distribution than it is further south. I see it in crevices of limestone overhangs along the rivers here in southeastern Missouri, which is zone 6. I guess the water moderates the zone somewhat.

This plant is on the threatened/endangered list in KY and NC. It is a protected species.

Leaves arch and are closely spaced. It is also called Venus's-hair fern.

i've been growing adiantums for years - by spores the last few. i find that they grow particularly well if grown in wooden containers that are 3" high and at least 12" square. if given daily water and high / open shade, they grow very quickly. they do not do well in closed, dark places. they seem to respond well to phosphorous/potassium fertilizer. when i grow them in sunnier locations, i plant them w/ their roots under a big rock - on the shady side.

My favorite fern (wherever it's native to)... at least this is the one that most resembles the one I discovered growing under my deck. It had been growing there a while and managed to survive long periods without water, possibly dying back and then sprouting when it rained?. I dug it up and put in pot and it's doing quite well on top of rather than under deck. gets a good amount of midday to late afternoon sun but is OK as long as it gets daily water. Used to see them sometimes when hiking in the valleys.

I LOVE this Texas native!!! I have tried to transplant one to a pot in my garden, but it didn't care much for it. I think I kept it too dry. I've also heard it called Black Stick Maidenhair.

This is a wonderful addition to a shade garden, providing it is not allowed to dry out. It is a native plant in the Pacific Northwest, and is often found on rock faces where there is a trickle of water and seemingly little soil.