Species · genus Adiantum · Pteridaceae

Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum capillus-veneris L.

Also known as: Southern Maidenhair · Venus' Hair-fern · Venus's Hair Fern · Venus's Maidenhair · Black Maidenhair

Growth habit

perennial or lithophyte

Native range

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

Adiantum capillus-veneris — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of A. capillus-veneris

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. capillus-veneris yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Meet the maidenhair fern

Adiantum capillus-veneris, the maidenhair fern, is a low-growing, clump-forming fern in the Pteridaceae family. It carries the common names black maidenhair, Venus maidenhair, and Venus's hair, among others, and is often grown both in shady garden corners and as a houseplant.

Source: RHS

A native of these isles

This species is native to Britain and Ireland, and is at home in sheltered, shady spots. It is hardy enough for coastal and mild parts of the UK, though it will not survive being frozen through.

Source: RHS

Shade, moisture, shelter

Give this fern full or partial shade and a sheltered spot, whether it faces west, east, or north. The soil should be moist but well drained, with a neutral to alkaline pH, and it will take to clay, loam, chalk, or sandy ground alike. Grown as a houseplant, the same preference for shade and consistent moisture applies.

Source: RHS

By division or spore

The maidenhair fern is propagated either by division of the clump or by spores.

Source: RHS

Fronds on black wire

The maidenhair fern is a spreading, clump-forming plant with fronds that arch gently and divide twice over, giving them a fine, elegant texture. These fronds are carried on wiry black stems, and the foliage is semi-evergreen in warm sheltered gardens or indoors, though it can be deciduous elsewhere. It stays modest in size, reaching only 0.1 to 0.5 metres in height and spread, and takes two to five years to reach maturity.

Source: RHS

Largely untroubled

This is a fern that is generally free of both pests and disease.

Source: RHS

A light winter tidy

Faded growth can be trimmed back in winter if it looks untidy, or you can simply wait until new fronds begin to emerge in spring before cutting back the old.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 2-5d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 5 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

15–24 °C

Soil mix

Rich, moist, well-draining mix with added grit

Propagation

Division of the rhizome, or spores

Fertilizing

Weak balanced feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Ferns don't flower — reproduce by spores

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 2-5d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Maidenhair Fern yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.