Adiantum peruvianum aka Silver Dollar Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum peruvianum has the common name Peruvian maidenhair fern. People also call it silver-dollar maidenhair fern. It belongs to the fern family Pteridaceae. Its native range runs from Ecuador to Bolivia. Kew places it in the wet tropical climate group. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. These records trace its roots to tropical South America. They give no details of its habitats in the wild. The RHS accepts the scientific name used here.

This perennial fern lives for years and grows upright. Chicago Botanic Garden gives its height as 3 feet [0.91 metres]. This is a garden size, not a wild maximum. The sources give no width for this species when full-grown. They give no account of this species’ fronds, or fern leaves. The RHS page gives leaf and stalk traits for the genus. Those traits do not tell us this species’ own leaf shape. Its common name alone does not tell us that either.

Chicago Botanic Garden lists both part shade and full shade. It pairs these light levels with moist soil. These are the clearest growth needs in the sources. They fit the wet climate of its native range. The garden lists USDA hardiness zones 7–10 for the species. This entry is an archived account; the garden no longer updates it. The supplied RHS text gives no UK hardiness rating. Neither source gives a soil pH or soil texture. The sources thus support shade and moist soil. They do not state more exact soil needs.

The upright shape gives this fern a place in borders. Chicago also lists its use in beds and as a specimen plant. Its account lists ground cover and planting beneath taller plants, too. These uses give several ways to place it in shade. The same source states that the fern resists deer. The sources give no other traits linked to animals. These accounts name no pests or diseases.

Chicago’s entry labels the bloom colour green but does not describe flowers. That label gives no clear basis for a bloom season. The supplied text gives no details of fruit, either. It makes no claims about parts to eat or uses as medicine. Nor does it show that the plant is safe for people or pets.