Adiantum formosum

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Monilophytes > Polypodiales > Pteridaceae > Adiantum formosum

Other links:

Related species:   A aethiopicum   A formosum    A hispidulum   A silvaticum   

Plant  information

Common name:         Black Stem Maidenhair  

• Also, giant maidenhair

Conservation status: unkown

Etymology:   

• Genus name is from Greek, meaning "unwetted", referring to the fronds' ability to shed water without becoming wet

• Its species name is the Latin adjective formosus "handsome" or "beautiful"

Spores:                            

• They have 1–10 sori along the margins underneath

Leaves:         

• The fronds or blades are triangular with rectangular segments

• The last segment of the frond is irregular and asymmetrical, on a short stem

• The pinnules,are wedge-shaped, rectangular or trapezoidal

Stem & branches: 

• The stems are black and can reach 90 cm (36 in) in length

Roots:         

• The rhizome of this species is unusually deep, up to 60 cm below into the earth

Habit:        

• An attractive plant, with fronds up to 120 cm  high

• . This maidenhair fern can grow to 2 m tall

Habitat:   

• Often seen growing in moist areas or along streams usually on alluvial soils

• It is generally found in rainforest or in nearby open eucalyptus forest, where it may form a large colony

Distribution:                  

• Australia and New Zealand

• Found in Queensland, and NSW, and into Victoria, where it is less common

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • It was one of the many species authored by Scottish botanist Robert Brown

  • Appearing in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. 

• Use

  • Easy to grow in cultivation,

  • It makes a good subject for container gardening

  • It appears to go dormant in cooler months and grow rapidly during the summer.

  • A smaller, variegated form is commercially available and cultivated

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiantum_formosum (2023)