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Adiantum raddianum is often confused with:
Adiantum capillus-veneris Adiantum capillus vereris
Adiantum pedatum Adiantum pedatum, multiple
Adiantum x mairisii Adiantum x mairisii
Cyrtomium falcatum Cyrtomium falcatum
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Adiantum capillus-veneris Adiantum capillus vereris
Lygodium japonicum Lygodium japonica
Sphaeropteris cooperi Form
Adiantum raddianum has some common insect problems:
Mealybugs Found on Flowers and Foliage
Soft Scale Identification and Management on Ornamental Plants
Adiantum raddianum has some common disease problems:
Sunburn
Adiantum raddianum has some other problems:
Sunburn

Delta Maidenhair Adiantum raddianum

Other Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
ae-dee-AN-tum rad-dee-AE-num
Description

A deciduous, clump-forming, perennial fern native to the Tropical Americas and West Indies.  Genus name comes from the Greek word adiantos meaning unwetted in reference to the water repellent foliage.  Specific epithet references Italian botanist Giuseppe Raddi.

Partial shade to shade, but loses vitality in too much shade.  Needs moist to wet soil and should not be allowed to dry out.  Spreads by rhizomes.  Needs humidity and, if grown as a houseplant, does well if kept in bathrooms.

Rhizome short, widely creeping. 

Quick ID Hints:

  • Fronds decompound, membraneous, in flat planes
  • Pinnae in flat planes
  • Pinnules triangular, lobed
  • Sori marginal covered by revolute marginal flap
  • Stipe & rachis wiry, black

VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Brilliantelse'
  • ‘Fritz Lüthi’
  • ‘Kensington Gem’
'Brilliantelse', ‘Fritz Lüthi’, ‘Kensington Gem’
Tags:
#deciduous#houseplant#lacy leaves#interiorscape#fern#high maintenance#deer resistant#delicate#humidity tolerant#tropical feel#container plant
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Brilliantelse'
  • ‘Fritz Lüthi’
  • ‘Kensington Gem’
'Brilliantelse', ‘Fritz Lüthi’, ‘Kensington Gem’
Tags:
#deciduous#houseplant#lacy leaves#interiorscape#fern#high maintenance#deer resistant#delicate#humidity tolerant#tropical feel#container plant
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Adiantum
    Species:
    raddianum
    Family:
    Pteridaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Tropical Americas and West Indies
    Distribution:
    Tropical Americas and West Indies
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    This plant is seldom damaged by deer.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Fern
    Houseplant
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Arching
    Clumping
    Creeping
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Maintenance:
    High
    Texture:
    Fine
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    9b, 10a, 10b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Description:
    No fruit; reproduces via spores
  • Flowers:
    Flower Description:
    No flowers.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Fronds
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Other/more complex
    Leaf Shape:
    Obovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Lobed
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Description:
    Delicate, lace-likec lustered fronds, clump forming. 1-5-pinnate, arching, weakly glaucous beneath, membraneous; pinnae often decompound, flabellately branched; pinnules/leaflets somewhat triangular, broadly cuneate, lobed, sterile lobes cut deeply; stipe/petiole wiry, shiny black or tinged purple. SORI round to elongated, covered my revolute pinnule marginal flap.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Black
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Container
    Houseplants
    Patio
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer