Northern Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum pedatum
Delicate, horseshoe-shaped fronds of pale green leaflets whorl atop slender, shiny black stems, fluttering in the lightest woodland breeze. One of the most elegant native ferns for moist, acidic, humus-rich shade where it slowly spreads into soft colonies.
- Family
- Pteridaceae
- Type
- fern
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–2.5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–1.5 ft apart
- Light
- part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Wildlife value
- songbirds
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, AZ, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV