''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking
maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
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 "unwetted", referring to the fronds' ability to shed water without becoming wet.
]
Description
They are distinctive in appearance, with dark, often black stipes and rachises, and bright green, often delicately cut leaf
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...
tissue. The sori are borne submarginally, and are covered by reflexed flaps of leaf tissue which resemble indusia. Dimorphism between sterile and fertile fronds is generally subtle.
They generally prefer humus-rich, moist, well-drained sites, ranging from bottomland soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...
s to vertical rock walls. Many species are especially known for growing on rock walls around waterfall
A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge
of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
s and water seepage areas.
The highest species diversity is in the Andes. Fairly high diversity also occurs in eastern Asia, with nearly 40 species in China.
Species native to North America include '' A. pedatum'' (five-fingered fern) and the closely related '' A. aleuticum'', which are distinctive in having a bifurcating frond that radiates pinnae on one side only. The cosmopolitan '' A. capillus-veneris'' (Venus-hair fern) has a native distribution that extends into the eastern continent. '' A. jordanii'' (California Maidenhair) is native to the west coast.
There is a rich ''Adiantum'' flora in New Zealand with 3 endemic species (''A. cunninghamii'', ''A. viridescens'' and ''A. fulvum'') in a total of 10 recorded species. Many of these are common especially in the west and south of the islands.
Cladistics
List of species
*'' Adiantum abscissum''
*'' Adiantum adiantoides''
*''Adiantum aethiopicum
''Adiantum aethiopicum'', also known as the common maidenhair fern, is a small fern of widespread distribution, occurring in Africa, Australia, Norfolk Island and New Zealand.
''Adiantum aethiopicum'' was one of the many species first describe ...
'' – common maidenhair, true maidenhair
*''Adiantum alarconianum
''Adiantum alarconianum'' is a South American maidenhair fern. First scientifically collected in the early 1800s in Ecuador, it is found in neighboring parts of Peru as well. Its iridescent stem scales help to differentiate it from other relate ...
''
*'' Adiantum aleuticum'' – Aleutian maidenhair, western five-fingered Fern
*''Adiantum amazonicum
''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place ...
''
*''Adiantum amblyopteridium
''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place ...
''
*''Adiantum amelianum
''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking Asplenium trichomanes, maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family (biology), family Pterida ...
''
*'' Adiantum anceps'' – double edge maidenhair
*'' Adiantum aneitense''
*'' Adiantum angustatum''
*'' Adiantum annamense''
*'' Adiantum atroviride''
*'' Adiantum bellum'' – Bermuda maidenhair
*'' Adiantum bessoniae''
*'' Adiantum blumenavense''
*'' Adiantum boliviense''
*'' Adiantum bonatianum''
*'' Adiantum bonii''
*'' Adiantum brasiliense'' – Brazilian maidenhair
*'' Adiantum breviserratum''
*'' Adiantum calcareum''
*'' Adiantum capillus-junonis''
*'' Adiantum capillus-veneris'' – black maidenhair, southern maidenhair, Venus' hair
*'' Adiantum caudatum'' – walking maidenhair, tailed maidenhair, trailing maidenhair
*'' Adiantum celebicum''
*'' Adiantum chilense''
*'' Adiantum christii''
*'' Adiantum comoroense''
*'' Adiantum concinnum'' – polished maidenhair, brittle maidenhair
*'' Adiantum coreanum'' – Korean maidenhair fernAdiantum grossum
''Adiantum'' (), the maidenhair fern (not to be confused with the similar-looking maidenhair spleenwort fern), is a genus of about 250 species of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place ...
''
*'' Adiantum hispidulum'' – rough maidenhair, rosy maidenhair
*'' Adiantum hollandiae''
*'' Adiantum hornei''
*'' Adiantum hosei''
*'' Adiantum imbricatum''
*'' Adiantum incertum''
*'' Adiantum incisum''
*'' Adiantum intermedium''
*'' Adiantum jordanii'' – California maidenhair
*'' Adiantum juxtapositum''
*'' Adiantum kendalii''
*'' Adiantum kingii''
*'' Adiantum klossii''
*'' Adiantum lamrianum''
*'' Adiantum latifolium'' – broadleaf maidenhair
*'' Adiantum lenvingei''
*†'' Adiantum lianxianense''
*'' Adiantum lindenii''
*'' Adiantum lonrentzii''
*'' Adiantum lucidum''
*'' Adiantum macrocladum''
*'' Adiantum macrophyllum'' – largeleaf maidenhair
*'' Adiantum madagascariense''
*'' Adiantum malaliense''
*'' Adiantum malesianum''
*'' Adiantum mariesii''
*'' Adiantum mariposatum''
*'' Adiantum mcvaughii''
*'' Adiantum melanoleucum'' – fragrant maidenhair
*'' Adiantum mendoncae''
*'' Adiantum menglianense''
*'' Adiantum mettenii''
*'' Adiantum mindanaense''
*'' Adiantum monochlamys''
*'' Adiantum monosorum''
*'' Adiantum multisorum''
*'' Adiantum myriosorum''
*'' Adiantum neoguineense''
*'' Adiantum novae-caledoniae''
*'' Adiantum nudum''
*'' Adiantum oaxacanum''
*'' Adiantum obliquum'' – oblique maidenhair
*'' Adiantum ogasawarense''
*'' Adiantum opacum''
*'' Adiantum ornithopodum''
*'' Adiantum ovalescens''
*'' Adiantum palaoense''
*'' Adiantum papillosum''
*'' Adiantum paraense''
*'' Adiantum patens''
*'' Adiantum pearcei''
*'' Adiantum pedatum'' – northern maidenhair, five-fingered fern
*'' Adiantum pentadactylon''
*'' Adiantum peruvianum'' – silver-dollar fern, Peruvian maidenhair
*'' Adiantum petiolatum'' – stalked maidenhair
*'' Adiantum philippense''
*'' Adiantum phyllitidis''
*'' Adiantum platyphyllum''
*'' Adiantum poiretti''
*'' Adiantum polyphyllum'' – giant maidenhair
*'' Adiantum pseudotinctum''
*'' Adiantum pulchellum''
*'' Adiantum pulcherrimum''
*'' Adiantum pulverulentum'' – glossy maidenhair
*'' Adiantum pumilum''
*'' Adiantum pyramidale'' – pyramid maidenhair
*'' Adiantum raddianum'' – delta maidenhair
*'' Adiantum rectangulare''
*'' Adiantum reniforme'' – lotus-leaved maidenhair fern
*'' Adiantum rhizophorum''
*'' Adiantum robinsonii''
*'' Adiantum roborowskii''
*'' Adiantum rondoni''
*'' Adiantum rufopetalum''
*'' Adiantum scabrum''
*'' Adiantum schmalzii''
*'' Adiantum schmidtchenii''
*'' Adiantum schweinfurthii''
*'' Adiantum seemannii'' – Seeman's maidenhair
*'' Adiantum semiorbiculatum''
*'' Adiantum senae''
*'' Adiantum serratifolium''
*'' Adiantum shastense''
*'' Adiantum siamense''
*'' Adiantum silvaticum''
*'' Adiantum sinicum''
*'' Adiantum soboliferum''
*'' Adiantum sordidum''
*'' Adiantum stenochlamys''
*'' Adiantum stolzii''
*'' Adiantum subcordatum'' – big maidenhair
*'' Adiantum subpedatum''
*'' Adiantum tenerum'' – fan maidenhair, brittle maidenhair
*'' Adiantum tenuissimum''
*'' Adiantum tetragonum''
*'' Adiantum tetraphyllum'' – fourleaf maidenhair
*'' Adiantum thalictroides''
*'' Adiantum trapeziforme'' – diamond maidenhair
*'' Adiantum tricholepis'' – fuzzy maidenhair
*'' Adiantum trilobum''
*'' Adiantum tripteris''
*'' Adiantum venustum'' – evergreen maidenhair, Himalayan maidenhair.
*'' Adiantum villosissimum''
*'' Adiantum villosum'' – woolly maidenhair
*'' Adiantum viridescens''
*'' Adiantum viridimontanum'' – Green Mountain maidenhair
*'' Adiantum vivesii'' – Puerto Rico maidenhair
*'' Adiantum vogelii''
*'' Adiantum wattii''
*'' Adiantum wilsonii'' – Wilson's maidenhair
*'' Adiantum zollingeri''
Cultivation
Many species are grown in the horticultural trade. There are a number of tropical species, including '' A. raddianum'' and '' A. peruvianum''. Both '' A. pedatum'' and '' A. aleuticum'' are hardy to zone 3, and are by far the most cold-hardy members of the genus. ''A. venustum'' is also cold-hardy to zone 5. ''A. capillus-veneris'' is hardy to zone 7. Hybrids, such as '' Adiantum × mairisii'', are also popular.
Gallery
File:Adiantumhispidulum1web.jpg, Rough Maidenhair Fern (''Adiantum hispidulum'')
File:Adiantum cunninghamii.jpg, ''Adiantum cunninghamii'' showing characteristic inrolled leaf margin containing sori
File:Adiantum lunulatum W IMG_2337.jpg, ''Adiantum lunulatum'' in Goa, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
File:Adiantumraddianum1web.jpg, Delta Maidenhair (''Adiantum raddianum'')
References
Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Adiantum''Flora of North America: ''Adiantum''Flora of China: ''Adiantum'' species list
External links
{{Authority control
Fern genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus