Jepson Herbarium
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Vascular Plants of California
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Adiantum capillus-veneris

SOUTHERN MAIDENHAIR


Higher Taxonomy
Family: PteridaceaeView DescriptionDichotomous Key
Common Name: BRAKE FAMILY
Habit: Perennial herb, in soil or on or among rocks; rhizome creeping to erect, scaly. Leaf: generally all +- alike (or of 2 kinds, fertile, sterile), generally < 50 cm, often < 25 cm; stipe generally thin, wiry, often dark, ×-section with vascular strands generally 1--3, less often many in circle; blade generally pinnate or +- palmate-pinnate (see Adiantum), often >= 2-compound, abaxially often with glands, +- powdery exudate, hairs, or scales; segments round, oblong, fan-shaped, or other, veins generally free. Sporangia: in sori or not, marginal, submarginal, or along veins, covered by recurved, often modified segment margins (false indusia) or not; true indusia 0; spores spheric, sides flat or not, scar with 3 radiating branches.
Genera In Family: +- 40 genera, 500 species: worldwide, especially dry areas. Note: CA members of Cheilanthes moved to the distantly related Myriopteris; Pellaea breweri to be moved as well, from a to-be-redefined Pellaea; traditional, often untenable limits of genera outside CA also being clarified using molecular phylogenetics.
eFlora Treatment Author: Ruth E.B. Kirkpatrick, Alan R. Smith & Thomas Lemieux, except as noted
Scientific Editor: Alan R. Smith, Thomas J. Rosatti.
Genus: AdiantumView DescriptionDichotomous Key


Habit: Plant in soil or rock crevices; rhizome short-creeping, scales variously colored. Leaf: < +- 1 m; stipe cylindric, generally dark red-brown to +- black, shiny, +- scaly at base; blade 2--3-pinnate or +- palmate-pinnate (1st division +- palmate, subsequent ones pinnate), pinnae stalked, fan-shaped or oblong, generally lobed, toothed, or both; axes, blades lacking colored exudate. Sporangia: borne along veins on and covered by highly modified, recurved part of segment margin, appearing to run together at maturity; false indusia +- semicircular to linear; spores generally smooth, tan.
Etymology: (Greek: unwettable) Note: Widely cultivated.
eFlora Treatment Author: Layne Huiet, Ruth E.B. Kirkpatrick, Alan R. Smith & Thomas Lemieux
Reference: [Huiet et al. 2015 PhytoKeys 53:73--81]
Adiantum capillus-veneris L.
NATIVE
Leaf: generally (7)20--40(50+) cm; stipe dark brown to +- black; blade 2--3-pinnate; pinnules cut or lobed often > 1/4 way to base, often with < 4 +- irregular lobes, margins at base converging at 45--90(+)°, stipe color often extending gradually into base, midvein often part way along 1 margin. Sporangia: sori (and false indusia) (2)3--11 per pinnule, generally < 5 mm, without yellowish exudate among sporangia. Chromosomes: 2n=60.
Ecology: Uncommon (or locally common). Shaded, rocky or moist banks, exposed sites or not; Elevation: < 2300 m. Bioregional Distribution: NCoR, CaRF, n SNF, s SNH, SnJV, CCo, SCoRO, SW, GB, D; Distribution Outside California: generally southern United States; worldwide, especially temperate. Note: Widely cultivated.
Jepson eFlora Author: Layne Huiet, Ruth E.B. Kirkpatrick, Alan R. Smith & Thomas Lemieux
Reference: [Huiet et al. 2015 PhytoKeys 53:73--81]
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)

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Botanical illustration including Adiantum capillus-venerisbotanical illustration including Adiantum capillus-veneris


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Citation for this treatment: Layne Huiet, Ruth E.B. Kirkpatrick, Alan R. Smith & Thomas Lemieux 2016, Adiantum capillus-veneris, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, Revision 4, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=11947, accessed on December 02, 2024.

Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on December 02, 2024.

Adiantum capillus-veneris
click for image enlargement
©2001 Larry Blakely
Adiantum capillus-veneris
click for image enlargement
©2001 Larry Blakely
Adiantum capillus-veneris
click for image enlargement
©2004 James M. Andre
Adiantum capillus-veneris
click for image enlargement
©2001 Larry Blakely
Adiantum capillus-veneris
click for image enlargement
©2001 Larry Blakely

More photos of Adiantum capillus-veneris
in CalPhotos



Geographic subdivisions for Adiantum capillus-veneris:
NCoR, CaRF, n SNF, s SNH, SnJV, CCo, SCoRO, SW, GB, D
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map of distribution 1

(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurrence).






 

Data provided by the participants of the  Consortium of California Herbaria.

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All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window.
Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
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CCH collections by month Flowering-Fruiting Monthly Counts

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).