''Adiantum aleuticum'', the western maidenhair fern or Aleutian maidenhair, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Adiantum ''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern, is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it in its own family, Adiantaceae. The genus name comes from Greek, meaning "un ...

''.

Description

''A. aleuticum'' typically grows about 18-30 inches tall and wide. The

frond A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the lar ...

s grow tall, and are fan-shaped, light to medium green with dark brown to black stems. When growing in relative shade, fronds are held horizontally, but it also can grow in high mountains in full sun (often on serpentine rock) with fronds held vertically. New fronds unfurl from a tight coil (

circinate vernation Vernation (from ''vernal'' meaning ''spring'', since that is when leaves spring forth in temperate regions) is the formation of new leaves or fronds. In plant anatomy, it is the arrangement of leaves in a bud. In pine species, new leaves are short ...

) held on a tall stalk. Oblong sori (masses of spores) form beneath a curled-under leaflet edge ( false indusium). H20150408-0024—Adiantum aleuticum—RPBG (17192418876).jpg, Tilden Regional Park California Adiantum aleuticum subsp. calderi - Flickr - brewbooks.jpg, growing on serpentine rock Adiantum aleuticum JHT iNat199860221.jpg,

Taxonomy

Formerly classified as ''A. pedatum'' var. ''aleuticum'', it was shown to be a separate species in 1991. Other common names include serpentine maidenhair and five-fingered fern.

Distribution and habitat

''Adiantum aleuticum'' is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

mainly to western North America from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, south to Chihuahua, and also locally in northeastern North America from Newfoundland south to Vermont. It prefers fertile, moist soil in rock crevices near streams, from sea level in the north of its range, up to 3,200 m altitude in the south of its range. It tolerates

serpentinite Serpentinite is a rock composed predominantly of one or more serpentine group minerals, the name originating from the similarity of the texture of the rock to that of the skin of a snake. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''ser ...

rock well, and is confined to this mineral-rich rock in some areas. When growing on sunny serpentine talus and bedrock, the fronds are held vertically, giving the fern a rather different general appearance. Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 55. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Cultivation

The species and its

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

'Subpumilum' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. Though

hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, Sout ...

they may also be grown as

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

s. They prefer low to medium light, and will grow in moist potting mix. They may prove difficult to keep alive in dry climates.

Etymology

''Adiantum'' is derived from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and means 'unwetted'. This name is in reference to the fact that its leaves do not become saturated, even when they are submerged in water.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 36, 42 In the US, they are suitable for

USDA hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

3–8. ''Aleuticum'' means 'from the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

Cultivars

Cultivars include: * 'Japonicum' * 'Imbricatum' * 'Subpumilum'

References

External links

PFAF: ''Adiantum aleuticum''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4682650 aleuticum Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the West Coast of the United States Flora of Alberta Flora of Alaska Flora of British Columbia Flora of Maine Flora of Michigan Flora of Newfoundland Flora of Quebec Flora of Vermont Plants described in 1845