This fern rightly deserves the lovely name Maiden hair Fern. I have come across this delicate fern covering entire hills in the Western Ghats. Water trickling down the side of the hills feed the beautiful ferns to flourish.
High humidity and constant rains in this region helps the ferns to grow well.
Adiantum is the genus name, which in Greek means “not to wet” as water just slides off the fronds without wetting the leaves. Maiden hair fern belongs to family Adiantaceae.
There are 200 species of this fern like Adiantum hispidulum, Adiantum raddianum, Adiantum aleuticum, A. pedatum, A. capillus-veneris, and so on.
Each fern frond can grow to a length of 1 foot. The frond stem are thin and dark with delicate cut leaves.
Propagation:
Maiden Hair Fern needs care and attention to achieve success. Plant them in soil with good drainage and in shade. Feed every fortnight and repot in early spring.
Brown and withered leaves indicate that the plant is kept in too dry an atmosphere or in draught conditions. Root rot will result from over – or irregular watering.