Mairis's maidenhair fern
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
Dainty green leaflets are borne on black stems providing an ethereal, delicate appearance to this beautiful maidenhair fern. This perennial fern provides a tidy clump and is deciduous during cold weather, but in springtime the fronds emerge and grow 15 to 18 inches tall.
Plant Type: fern
Foliage Type: deciduous
Plant Height (10-year): 1 ft. 6 in. (0.46 meters)
Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 3 ft. 0 in. (0.91 meters)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 7 to 10
Sun/Light Exposure: light to dappled shade
Water Requirements: frequent to regular watering
Seasonal Interest: dainty green foliage spring through early autumn
Plant this fern in a shaded site - light, open, or dappled in rich, well-drained soil. Provide regular watering during dry periods or even frequent watering during hot spells.
This spontaneous sterile hybrid was found in the British nursery of Mairis and Company sometime before it was named in 1885. One of parents is Adiantum capillus-veneris, a species with a very wide distribution. The other parent is unknown, but likely to be A. raddianum or A. aethiopicum.
Text and photos ©2020 Great Plant Picks/Elisabeth Carey Miller Garden except where otherwise noted
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Times, and Individual Donors
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden