Why Plants Die
Theme
Theme

Maidenhair fern

Adiantum hispidulum, Pteridaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called rosy maidenhair fern and rough maidenhair.

Maidenhair fern (Adiantum hispidulum), the whole plant.
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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 shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · 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.

H4 — -10 to -5°C -10 to -5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Clay, Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · 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
Plant in moderately fertile soil in full or partial shade, where it neither dries out nor gets waterlogged.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Raise from spores or by dividing.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
In spring, cut off damaged fronds.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Usually free of pests outdoors; under glass, scale insects can occur. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Maidenhair fern (Adiantum hispidulum) foliage.
Close upKrzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Maidenhair fern (Adiantum hispidulum) growing wild.
In the wildKrzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Adiantum hispidulum, commonly known as rough maidenhair fern or five-fingered jack, is a small fern in the family Pteridaceae of widespread distribution. It is found in Africa, Australia, Polynesia, Malesia, New Zealand and other Pacific Islands. Its fronds rise in clumps from rhizomes among rocks or in the soil in sheltered areas.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Ethiopia to Limpopo, W. Indian Ocean, Trop. & Subtrop. Asia to W. Pacific
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Tropics & Subtropics
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
perennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Clump forming (semi evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Adiantum

More of the Pteridaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

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.