Venus's-hair Fern

Adiantum capillus-veneris

Modest

Native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 10–24 inches
Spread: 10–24 inches
Light: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Adiantum capillus-veneris — foliage photograph — Balles2601 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: June to October
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

JFMAMJJASOND

Recorded in 3 Mississippi counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 21 animals.

American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Screech-owl
Megascops asio
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eurasian Collared-dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Birds. 1 shared habitat
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Horned Lark
Eremophila alpestris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Painted Bunting
Passerina ciris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Prairie Warbler
Dendroica discolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

1CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Adiantum

Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

0BeesSoutheastern regional records

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Pteridaceae
Hardiness: Zones 6a–9b
Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
Flower color: White
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

What its natural habitat tells you

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “White” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 6a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “10–24 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “10–24 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Southern Maidenhair Fern; Venus's hair Fern

Conservation status

Mississippi rank	S2
Global rank	G5
MS status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.