Adiantum × mairisii

Mairis's maidenhair fern

  • © Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks

Outstanding Qualities

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.

Quick Facts

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

Culture Notes

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.

Geek Notes

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.