|                    Venus’-hair fern, Southern maidenhair, Common maidenhair
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                |                    Adiantum capillus-veneris  
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                |                    Pteridaceae 
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                 Landscape Uses:
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                 A delicate accent fern on exposed moist limestone in rock gardens and on the banks of water features such as natural pools. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 In South Florida, this is not known as a natural component of the landscape and is not an appropriate component of ecological restoration projects.  In north-central Florida and the Panhandle, this is an uncommon to rare element but may be appropriate for some projects. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Widely cultivated, but most often as an indoor plant or hanging basket. Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida. Rarely grown by native plant nurseries in northeast Florida. | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
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                 Medium herbaceous fern with delicate leaflets (pinnae). | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
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                 Typically 6-12 inches high; about as broad as tall. The leaves are typically about 12-18 inches long, but they are most often pendent, or somewhat pendent.  | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
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                 Widespread in North America south to South Florida, where the historic distribution is unclear; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Old World in both temperate and tropical regions. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
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                 Moist limestone.  In the Florida Panhandle and part of north-central Florida, it grows naturally on moist walls of limestone sinkholes, and on limestone along rivers and on bluffs. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
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                 Moist limestone rock, with or without an accumulation of humusy material. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Low; it grows on nutrient poor substrate. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; requires moist substrate and high humidity and is intolerant of long periods of drought. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Light shade. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
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                 N/A. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
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                 There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
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                 Probably spring-fall in most of Florida and all year in South Florida. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
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                 Inconspicuous spores. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
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                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
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                 Can be grown from spores or divisions. | 
               
              
                | Comments: | 
               
              
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                 In the right situations, this rock-loving fern will recruit readily in the garden.   | 
               
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