Adiantum the maidenhair ferns, is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of about 200 species of fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

s in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Pteridaceae

Pteridaceae

Pteridaceae is a large family of ferns in the order Pteridales. Members of the family have creeping or erect rhizomes and are mostly terrestrial or epipetric...

, though some researchers place it in its own family, Adiantaceae. The genus name comes from Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...

, meaning "not wetting", referring to the frond

Frond

The term frond refers to 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...

s' ability to shed water without becoming wet.

Description

They are distinctive in appearance, with dark, often black stipes

Stipe (botany)

In botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....

 and rachis

Rachis

Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...

es, and bright green, often delicately-cut leaf

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 tissue. The sori

Sorus

A sorus is a cluster of sporangia .In fungi and lichens, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae it may take the form of a depression into the thallus....

 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

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

s to vertical rock walls. Many species are especially known for growing on rock walls around waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s and water seepage areas.

The highest species diversity is in the Andes

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

 in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. Fairly high diversity also occurs in eastern Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, with nearly 40 species in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

Species native to North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 include A. pedatum

Adiantum pedatum

Adiantum pedatum is a maidenhair fern native to moist woodland in eastern North America.Adiantum aleuticum was once considered a subspecies...

(Five-fingered Fern) and the closely related A. aleuticum

Adiantum aleuticum

Adiantum aleuticum is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum, native 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 Maryland.The fronds grow to 15-110 cm high, and are...

, which are distinctive in having a bifurcating frond that radiates pinnae on one side only. A. capillus-veneris

Adiantum capillus-veneris

Adiantum capillus-veneris, the Southern maidenhair fern, black maidenhair fern, and venus hair fern, is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum with a subcosmopolitan worldwide distribution...

(Venus-hair fern) has a native distribution that extends into the eastern continent. A. jordanii

Adiantum jordanii

Adiantum jordanii is a perennial species of maidenhair fern known by the common name California maidenhair.It is native to California and Baja California. A...

(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

It is now known that this genus is paraphyletic, and that the vittarioid ferns are derived from this larger paraphyletic genus. However, if A. raddianum, and possibly a few other species, are removed, the remaining plants (genus type: Adiantum capillus-veneris

Adiantum capillus-veneris

Adiantum capillus-veneris, the Southern maidenhair fern, black maidenhair fern, and venus hair fern, is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum with a subcosmopolitan worldwide distribution...

) is then monophyletic.

Cultivation

Many species are grown in the horticultural

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

 trade, including all three of the species mentioned, as well as a number of tropical species, including A. raddianum and A. peruvianum

Adiantum peruvianum

Adiantum peruvianum is a fern in the genus Adiantum. It has black stems and large flat pinnules. It is frequently grown as an ornamental greenhouse or house plant, and is favored for its unusually large pinnules....

. 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.

List of Species

• Adiantum abscissum
• Adiantum aculeolatum
• Adiantum adiantoides
• Adiantum aethiopicum
  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. Known as the Common Maidenhair Fern in Australia....
  
  – Common Maidenhair, True Maidenhair.
• Adiantum alarconianum
• Adiantum aleuticum
  Adiantum aleuticum
  Adiantum aleuticum is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum, native 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 Maryland.The fronds grow to 15-110 cm high, and are...
  
  – Aleutian Maidenhair, Western Five-fingered Fern
• Adiantum amazonicum
• Adiantum amblyopteridium
• Adiantum amelianum
• Adiantum anceps – Double Edge Maidenhair
• Adiantum aneitense
• Adiantum angustatum
• Adiantum annamense
• Adiantum atroviride
• Adiantum bellum
  Adiantum bellum
  Adiantum bellum is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum , and is native to Bermuda.It is 1 of 19 ferns native to Bermuda, the only native maidenhair, and the most prolific fern on the island. It is found only on Bermuda; however the IPNI reports it also found in Guiana.A. bellum is deciduous...
  
  – 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
  Adiantum capillus-veneris
  Adiantum capillus-veneris, the Southern maidenhair fern, black maidenhair fern, and venus hair fern, is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum with a subcosmopolitan worldwide distribution...
  
  – Black Maidenhair, Southern Maidenhair, Venus' Hair
• Adiantum caudatum – Tailed Maidenhair, Trailing Maidenhair
• Adiantum celebicum
• Adiantum chilense
• Adiantum christii
• Adiantum comoroense
• Adiantum concinnum – Polished Maidenhair, Brittle Maidenhair
• Adiantum coreanum
• Adiantum crespianum
• Adiantum cultratum
• Adiantum cuneatiforme
• Adiantum cuneatum
• Adiantum cunninghamii
• Adiantum cupreum
• Adiantum curvatum
• Adiantum davidii
• Adiantum diaphanum
  Adiantum diaphanum
  Adiantum diaphanum, the filmy maidenhair fern, is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum, native to East Asia and Australasia, from southern Japan south to New Zealand. It grows to 20 cm long at the most, with very dark green fronds covered with bristles....
  
  – Filmy Maidenhair, Small Maidenhair.
• Adiantum dioganum
• Adiantum diphyllum
• Adiantum discretodenticulatum
• Adiantum dissimulatum
• Adiantum edgeworthii
  Adiantum edgeworthii
  Adiantum edgeworthii is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum.- References and external links :* *...
  
  
• Adiantum elegantulum
• Adiantum emarginatum – California Maidenhair
• Adiantum erylliae
• Adiantum erythrochlamys
• Adiantum excisum - Chilean Maidenhair
• Adiantum fengianum
  Adiantum fengianum
  Adiantum fengianum is a species of fern in the Adiantaceae family. It is endemic to China. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
  
  
• Adiantum fimbriatum
• Adiantum flabellulatum
• Adiantum formosum
  Adiantum formosum
  Adiantum formosum, known as the Giant Maidenhair or Black Stem Maidenhair is a fern found in Australia and New Zealand. It was one of the many species authored by Scottish botanist Robert Brown, appearing in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen...
  
  – Giant Maidenhair, Australian Maidenhair
• Adiantum fossarum
• Adiantum fragile – Fragile Maidenhair
• Adiantum fructosum
• Adiantum fulvum
• Adiantum gertrudis
  Adiantum gertrudis
  Adiantum gertrudis is a threatened species of fern that occurs in central South America. One locus of occurrence of A. gertrudis is within central Chile at the La Campana National Park.. A morphological trait unique to A. gertrudis is the hairs covering its fronds.-Sources:* Chilebosque * Michael...
  
  
• Adiantum gibbosum
• Adiantum gingkoides
• Adiantum glabrum
• Adiantum glaureosum
• Adiantum glaucescens
• Adiantum glaucinum
• Adiantum glaziovii
• Adiantum gomphophyllum
• Adiantum gracile
• Adiantum gravesii
• Adiantum grossum
• Adiantum hispidulum
  Adiantum hispidulum
  Adiantum hispidulum, commonly known as Rough Maidenhair Fern or five-fingered jack, is a small fern in the family Adiantaceae of widespread distribution. It is found in Africa, Australia, Polynesia, Malesia, New Zealand and other Pacific Islands...
  
  – Rough Maidenhair, Rosy Maidenhair
• Adiantum hollandiae
• Adiantum hornei
• Adiantum hosei
• Adiantum imbricatum
• Adiantum incertum
• Adiantum incisum
• Adiantum intermedium
• Adiantum jordanii
  Adiantum jordanii
  Adiantum jordanii is a perennial species of maidenhair fern known by the common name California maidenhair.It is native to California and Baja California. A...
  
  – California Maidenhair
• Adiantum juxtapositum
• Adiantum kendalii
• Adiantum kingii
• Adiantum klossii
• Adiantum lamrianum
• Adiantum latifolium – Broadleaf Maidenhair
• Adiantum lenvingei
• Adiantum lianxianense
  Adiantum lianxianense
  Adiantum lianxianense was a species of fern in the Adiantaceae family. It was endemic to China. Its natural habitat was subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It became extinct due to habitat loss.-Source:...
  
  
• Adiantum lindenii
• Adiantum lonrentzii
• Adiantum lucidum
• Adiantum lunulatum
• Adiantum macrocladum
• Adiantum macrophyllum – Largeleaf Maidenhair
• Adiantum madagascariense
• Adiantum malaliense
• Adiantum malesianum
• Adiantum mariesii
• 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
  Adiantum pedatum
  Adiantum pedatum is a maidenhair fern native to moist woodland in eastern North America.Adiantum aleuticum was once considered a subspecies...
  
  – Northern Maidenhair, Five-fingered Fern
• Adiantum pentadactylon
• Adiantum peruvianum
  Adiantum peruvianum
  Adiantum peruvianum is a fern in the genus Adiantum. It has black stems and large flat pinnules. It is frequently grown as an ornamental greenhouse or house plant, and is favored for its unusually large pinnules....
  
  – 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
• Adiantum rhizophorum
• Adiantum robinsonii
• Adiantum roborowskii
• Adiantum rondoni
• Adiantum rubellum
• Adiantum rufopetalum
• Adiantum scabrum
• Adiantum schmalzii
• Adiantum schmidtchenii
• Adiantum schweinfurthii
• Adiantum seemannii - Seeman's Maidenhair
• Adiantum semiorbiculatum
• Adiantum senae
• Adiantum serratifolium
• Adiantum siamense
• Adiantum sinicum
  Adiantum sinicum
  Adiantum sinicum is a species of fern in the Adiantaceae family. It is endemic to China. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
  
  
• Adiantum silvaticum
• Adiantum soboliferum
• Adiantum sordidum
• Adiantum stenochlamys
• Adiantum stolzii
• Adiantum subcordatum - Big Maidenhair
• Adiantum tenerum – Fan Maidenhair, Brittle Maidenhair
• Adiantum tenuissimum
• Adiantum tetragonum
• Adiantum tetraphyllum – Fourleaf Maidenhair
• Adiantum thalictroides
• Adiantum trapeziforme
  Adiantum trapeziforme
  Adiantum trapeziforme is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum, native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America....
  
  – 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
  Adiantum viridimontanum
  Green Mountain maidenhair fern is a rare fern limited to outcrops of serpentine rock in New England and Canada. A hybrid between Adiantum pedatum and Adiantum aleuticum , it closely resembles its parent species...
  
  – Green Mountain Maidenhair
• Adiantum vivesii
  Adiantum vivesii
  Adiantum vivesii is a rare species of fern known by the common name Puerto Rico maidenhair. It is in the maidenhair fern genus Adiantum.-Distribution:...
  
  – Puerto Rico Maidenhair
• Adiantum wattii
• Adiantum wilsonii – Wilson's Maidenhair
• Adiantum zollingeri