Southern maidenhair fern with scientific name Adiantum capillus veneris, is a deciduous and clumping fern with drooping habit which grows 12 to 18 inches tall and slowly spreads by short creeping rhizomes. It has bipinnate to tripinnate fronds with wiry and black stems which are distinctively arching to pendent. Small pinnae are fan shaped with wedge shaped bases and irregular lobing at the apex. It resembles appearance to northern maidenhair fern except unforked fronds. Foliage are soft delicate and finely textured and attractive in woodland areas.

There are some eighty varieties of this plant, some of which grow abundantly in Canada and the United States. Maidenhair is perennial and is found in deep woods and moist, rich soil. This is a very delicate and graceful flowering fern growing from 12–15 in. high, with a slender, polished stalk. The leaves are aromatic and bitterish.

Medicinal uses

• • It helps to suppress cough, reduce phlegm, kill viruses, protects liver, lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood sugar level, treats respiratory tract diseases, stimulate menstruation and treatment for hairloss.
  • Use it for treating leprosy, thyroid dysfunction, animal bites and musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Use it externally for wounds, eczema and boils.
  • In Iran, it is used as a traditional medicine for treating jaundice.
  • Use it externally as a poultice on snake bites and bee stings.
  • In Nepal, fronds paste is applied on forehead to provide relief from headaches and also to relieve chest pains.

Facts About Southern maidenhair fern

Southern maidenhair fern Quick Facts
Name:	Southern maidenhair fern
Scientific Name:	Adiantum Capillus-Veneris
Origin	Native to the southern half of the United States from California to the Atlantic coast, through Mexico and Central America, to South America.

Name	Southern maidenhair fern
Scientific Name	Adiantum Capillus-Veneris
Native	Native to the southern half of the United States from California to the Atlantic coast, through Mexico and Central America, to South America.
Common/English Name	Maiden Fern, Common Polypody, Maidenhair Fern, Southern Maidenhair Fern, Common maidenhair, Venus Maidenhair Fern, Venus’s Hair Fe
Name in Other Languages	English: Venus’s hair fern, Venus’s maidenhair, Common maidenhair, Common maidenhair fern, Maidenhair fern, Southern maidenhair, Venus hairfern, Southern maidenhair fern, Venus maidenhair fern, Venus’-hair fern; Danish: Ægte Venushår, Venushår; Dutch: Europees venushaar; Finnish: Venuksenhiussaniainen; French: Capillaire de Montpellier, Capillaire cheveux-de-Vénus, Cheveux de Vénus; German: Frauenhaarfarn, Venushaarfarn; Italian: Capelvenere commune; Spanish: Capilera, Adianto, Culantrillo de pozo; Gujarati: Hanspadi;  Hindi:  Hansraj,  Mubaraka,  Pursha;  Kannada:  Hansraj, Persian: Sirsiapeshane;  Tamil: Seruppadai; Kashmir: Dumtuli;  Urdu: Persia-  ushan;  Unani: Barsioshan, Kazbaratul Ber
Soil	Moist, humus rich
Plant Size	12-18 inches tall
Medicinal part	Leaves, rhizomes