Additional notes (click to expand)

Other use

Adiantum venustum D.Don Adiantaceae (although placed by some in Pteridaceae). Himalayan maidenhair fern. Small evergreen hardy fern. Distribution: Afghanistan-India. It gains its vernacular name from the wiry black stems that resemble hairs. Adiantum comes from the Greek for 'dry' as the leaflets remain permanently dry. A related species has been used medicinally. The Cherokee used A. pedatum to make their hair shiny. Henry Lyte (1576), writing on A. capillus-veneris, notes that it restores hair, is an antidote to the bites of mad dogs and venemous beasts; helpeth shortness of breath and excess phlegm; treats kidney stones, periods, helps deliver the placenta, and more. Linnaeus (1782) recommended it for intestinal obstruction.

Geographical distribution

  • Asia-Temperate, China
  • Asia-Tropical, Indian Subcontinent, India
  • Asia-Tropical, Indian Subcontinent, Nepal

Adiantum venustum D. Don

Family: ADIANTACEAE
Genus: Adiantum
Species: venustum D. Don
Common names: Evergreen Maidenhair
Distribution summary: China, India, Nepal
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: H5 - Hardy; cold winter
Garden status: Currently grown
Garden location: Plants of the World (C)


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