Adiantum cunninghamii

Botanical name: Adiantum cunninghamii

Common name(s): Maidenhair fern, Cunningham’s maidenhair

Plant facts:

A graceful native maidenhair fern with delicate divided fronds held on glossy black stems. This elegant forest fern is highly ornamental and commonly found growing on damp banks, rocky outcrops and shaded cliff faces throughout New Zealand. The finely textured foliage creates a soft layered appearance that contrasts beautifully with darker forest plants.

Natural habitat:

Coastal to lowland forest, rocky banks, limestone and basalt cliffs, shaded boulder fields and damp forest margins.

Growing environment:

Shade tolerant, Damp soil loving, Frost tolerant & Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

Endemic to New Zealand including the Kermadec Islands, Three Kings Islands, North Island, South Island, Stewart Island and Chatham Islands.

Height:

10–40 cm tall

Foliage:

Soft dark green to glaucous green finely divided fronds carried on wiry dark purple-black stems.

Uses:

• Shaded native gardens
• Indoor fern collections
• Terrariums and ferneries
• Rock and woodland gardens
• Damp retaining walls and banks
• Decorative foliage feature

Appearance:

Growth habit:
A tufted terrestrial fern forming spreading clumps from short to long creeping rhizomes.

Fronds:
Fronds are finely divided and airy, with small asymmetrical leaflets attached to thin black stems. The leaflets curve slightly upwards and have softly toothed upper margins.

Stems:
Glossy dark purple to nearly black stems provide strong contrast against the pale green foliage.

Spores:
Spores develop beneath curved leaflet margins within kidney-shaped protective indusia.

How to grow:

Thrives in moist humus-rich soil with good drainage and consistent shade or filtered light. Particularly suited to sheltered woodland gardens, damp rockeries and shaded pots. Prefers cool moist conditions and benefits from protection against drying winds. Best propagated from fresh spores, though plants establish slowly and may take several years to mature.