Common maidenhair
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Australian maidenhair fern, black maidenhair, capillaire, common maidenhair fern, dudder grass, giant maidenhair fern, Maidenhair Fern, plumed maidenhair fern, southern maidenhair, Southern Maidenhair Fern, Venus maidenhair, Venus Maidenhair Fern, Venus' hair, Venus'-hair Fern, Venus's hair, Venus's hair fern and Venushair.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full shade, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H3 — -5 to 1°C -5 to 1 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Clay, Loam, Chalk, Sand; pH Neutral or AlkalineRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- The genus name derives from the Greek adiantos, "unwetted", referring to the leaves that shed water.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- It needs little care, but the soil should be moist without being saturated, and it needs fertilizer, particularly in pots.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase by division or spores.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Faded growth can be trimmed in winter if needed, or leave it until new growth begins to appear in spring.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by Florida fern caterpillar.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Usually free of pests and diseases.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Adiantum capillus-veneris, the maidenhair fern, southern maidenhair fern, black maidenhair fern and venus hair fern, is a species of ferns in the genus Adiantum and the family Pteridaceae with a subcosmopolitan worldwide distribution. It is cultivated as a popular garden fern and houseplant.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- CosmopolitanWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Temperate and tropical regions worldwideNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- temperateWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- perennial or lithophyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Fern, Herbaceous Perennial; habit arching, clumping, creepingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (semi evergreen, deciduous)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 10–24 in; width 10–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- No flowers.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Other Adiantum
More of the Pteridaceae family
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.