Hairy Maiden-fern
Christella hispidula
Native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 71%
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to average
At a glance
Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Life cycle · Leaves
Height: NC species account not read yet.
Spread, light, life cycle and leaves: no source found yet.
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 7 Mississippi counties.
Who uses this plant?
6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS
Genus host records with ranges including MS · Thelypteris
- Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar
- Callopistria mollissimaPink-Shaded Fern Moth
- Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
- Fagitana litteraMarsh Fern Moth
- Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
- Herpetogramma theseusalis
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Thelypteris
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Thelypteridaceae
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Also known as
Hairy Maiden fern; Thelypteris hispidula; fern
Conservation status
| Mississippi rank | S4 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| MS status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- NatureServe Explorer
- USDA PLANTS
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Mississippi occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications