Adiantum capillus-veneris L. var. protrusum Fernald
Adiantum modestum Underw.
Adiantum capillus-veneris L.
Southern maidenhair fern, common maidenhair fern, venus hairfern, venus’ hair
Black maidenhair fern is native to Europe, North and Central America, and Africa. It is popular as a house plant.
Identification: This fern rarely exceeds 1½′ (45 cm) in height, and tends to be an inconspicuous occupant in moist, shady forests. For example, the photo was taken near a small bubbling brook. The leaf shape, unlike that of most ferns, is quite distinctive: delicate light green fronts subdivided into pinnae ⅛–⅜″ (5–10 mm) in size.
Habitats: Moist, well-drained sand, loam or limestones, in rainforests, shrub and woodlands, broadleaf and coniferous forests, desert cliff seeps, and springs.
Medical: Several cultures have used maidenhair fern brewed as tea to treat coughs and bronchitis.
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Adiantum capillus-veneris L. var. modestum (Underw.) Fernald
Adiantum capillus-veneris L. var. protrusum Fernald
Adiantum modestum Underw.
Adiantum capillus-veneris L. var. protrusum Fernald
Adiantum modestum Underw.
1 · 6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah · ≈ 2½ × 1½′ (85 × 56 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Pteridophyta | Ferns |
| Class | Filicopsida | “Leptosporangiate” (has to do with how their spores form) ferns—includes most ferns |
| Order | Polypodiales | Polypod ferns |
| Family | Pteridaceae | Ferns that grow on rocks (mostly) |
| Genus | Adiantum | Maidenhair ferns |
| Species | capillus-veneris | “Venus hair” fern |
Adiantum capillus-veneris description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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