Adiantum pedatum

Maidenhair Fern

This fern's delicate appearance disguises its tough nature! The name comes from the shiny, dark, hair-like stalks that branch to hold the fan-shaped leaves almost horizontally with a delicate strength. The fronds unfurl fairly late in the spring, unfurling rapidly once they appear to form spreading clumps. Can form large colonies of a pleasant medium green. A deciduous fern.

Additional Information:
Fairly common in the woods, but not always evident. The book "How to Know the Ferns" by Frances Theodora Parsons (1899) reads, "Its chosen haunts are dim, moist hollows....in such retreats you find the feathery fronds tremulous on their black, glistening stalks, and in their neighborhood you'll find also the very spirit of the woods."

Height 10-18 Inches

Spread 15-24 Inches

Bloom/Seasonal Color Light Green

USDA Hardiness Zone 4-8

Good Companions Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Marginal Shield Fern (Dryopteris marginalis), Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

Characteristics & Attributes

Hydrologic Designation • FAC-	Season of Interest • Late (July-frost) • Mid (May-June)	Soil Moisture • Moderate
Special Uses • Ground Cover	Sun Exposure • Shade	USFS MO Ecological Map • Mississippi Aluvial Basin • Ozark Highlands