FNPS Plant Database

Adiantum capillus-veneris

Venus maidenhair fern, southern maidenhair fern

  • ©Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

  • ©Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

Venus maidenhair fern, southern maidenhair fern

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Adiantum capillus-veneris

Family:

Pteridaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

fern

Size:

Hanging or low-growing fern, 1-2 ft tall by 1 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

evergreen

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Small specimen plant or groundcover. Also grows well as a container plant. A good addition to a rock garden. Prefers settings that are well drained but moist (Osorio 2001). Note that the range as shown is where limestore is is near the surface. If you plant it near concrete or limestone, it should do well throughout Florida.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Plant Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Spreads gradually and can be propagated by division. Also can be propagated by spores.

Light:

Part Shade, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

-|---- <------------------->

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Clay, Lime Rock, Sand

Soil pH:

calcareous (high pH)

Suitable to Grow In:

8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Said to be resistant to deer.

Native Habitats:

Moist hammocks; can grow attached to rock outcroppings if moisture is consistently present in the area.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Widespread but sparse distribution in Florida largely based on where limestone is exposed at the surface. If you have limestone it is appropriate to plant it even if the location is not shown on the map.

Citations:

Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/adiantum-capillus-veneris/ , accessed 2025. North Carolina State University, Raleigh.


Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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