Adiantum caudatum aka Tailed Maidenhair

Adiantum caudatum is a fern in the Pteridaceae family. It stays green year-round. The RHS calls it trailing maidenhair and walking maidenhair. Its native range spans parts of Asia and New Guinea. Records list China, India and Sri Lanka. They also list Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. In the Philippines, it grows in thickets. This tells us something about its home, but not its full care needs.

This fern lives for more than one year. It grows from a short, creeping rhizome, or underground stem. Its fronds reach about 2 feet [0.6 metres] in height. They curve outward and may lie close to the ground. Roots can form at the tip of a frond. A new plant then grows at that point. This lets the fern spread beyond its rhizome. The sources give no measured width for a mature clump. Nor do they give a separate size range for garden plants.

Growers can raise this fern from spores. They can also divide the young plants at frond tips. The sources list these two ways to grow more plants. They give no season or steps for either method. They also give no account of flowers or fruit. The RHS page describes leaves and stalks for the genus. But those broad traits do not tell us this species' exact leaf shape. Nor do they tell us its stalk colour.

People grow this fern for show in gardens. Its form includes arching fronds and plants that grow at their tips. Yet the species account gives no detailed guide to its care. It sets no light levels, water needs or soil needs. It gives no frost limits or hardiness zones. The sources name no pests or diseases for this species. These gaps leave its care needs and garden limits unclear.

People also gather wild plants for local use as medicine. They use the fronds for asthma, spasms, coughs and fever. Other reported uses include diabetes, migraine and skin complaints. These reports describe past and current customs, not proof that treatment works. The database lists no known food use for this species. It reports no cases of harm from toxins specific to this species. This does not mean the plant is safe. Its broad warnings about ferns do not prove this plant has toxins.