About
This spreading fern features low-growing, gracefully arching fronds that are twice divided and held aloft by slender black stems. It is semi-evergreen in warm, protected outdoor settings or when cultivated indoors as a houseplant.
About the genus
Adiantum consists of ferns that may be either deciduous or evergreen, characterized by lustrous black stems. These ferns typically feature fronds that are either simple or, more commonly, divided pinnately. The individual segments can be fan-shaped, oblong, or rounded, and they produce spores beneath reflexed marginal flaps.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full shade, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam, Chalk, Sand
- Soil pH
- Neutral, Alkaline
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, East-facing, North-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Ferns
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Semi evergreen, Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Houseplants, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Plant in a moist but free draining soil in partial shade. Makes an effective shady border edging in mild areas. Can also be grown as a houseplant. See how to grow ferns as houseplants for further advice
- Pruning
- Can trim back any faded growth in winter if required or wait for new growth to start emerging in spring.
- Propagation
- Propagate by division or spores
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free