Native Plant Database

Header Photo: Mervin Wallace

Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum pedatum
Plant Type: Ferns
Native Environment: Forest
Season of Interest: Early (Feb - Apr), Mid (May - June), Late (July - frost)
Main Color: Green
Fall Color:

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Maidenhair fern plant with fine-textured green fronds arranged in a circular shape
Photo: Carol Davit
Sun Exposure 
Medium Sun/Average Shade, Shade
Soil
Moisture
Moderate, High
Nature Attracting
Wildlife Benefit
Cover
Animal
Resistance
Deer Resistant
Size

Height:

12 to
18
inches

Spread:

12 to
18
inches
Size
Height: 12 to
18
inches
Spread: 12 to
18
inches
Size
Height: 12 to
18
inches
Spread: 12 to
18
inches
Typical Landscape Use
Woodland and shade gardens including shaded borders and rock gardens, and along shaded paths.
Establishment and Care Instructions
Likes full shade and acidic soil that is moist but well-drained and rich with humus, but will grow on moderate soil and in part shade.
Special Features
Special Usage
Containers
Basic Description

This fern’s young shoots arise in spring as coiled pink fiddleheads. Bluish green, fine-textured fronds are borne horizontally, divided into projections that resemble fingers, and arranged in a pattern that can be described as circular or horseshoe-shaped. Stems are reddish brown to purplish black. Plants form colonies via spreading rhizomes. Can provide cover for animals such as amphibians and reptiles.

Where Should I Start?

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Where Can I Find This Plant in Nature?

Learn about the Native Environment(s) inhabited by the plants in this database.

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