General: Common Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) is a black-stemmed, green-leaved fern that one would not expect to find in the desert. The fronds are actually large and pinnately compound, but the individual leaflets are small (1/2 to 3/4-inch across), fan-shaped, and notched at the end.

Common Maidenhair is an uncommon component of vegetation communities in shaded wet areas such as seeps and springs in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats), Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland), and Transition (Yellow Pine Forest) life zones. Look for this species in damp soil under boulders and on shaded cliffs around seeps and springs.

Family: Brake (Pteridaceae).

Other Names: Maiden-Hair Fern

Plant Form: Multiple leaves (stems) from a rhizomatous base, often hanging from the crack in a cliff.

Height: To about 1 foot when upright, usually hanging down.

Stems: Petiole blackish.

Leaves: Entire leaves to about 16 inches with blackish petiole and central rib. Leaf pinnately-compound. Individual leaflets small (1/2 to 3/4-inch across), fan-shaped, notched at the end.

Habitat: Moist, shady areas along steeps, springs, and creeks.

Elevation: To about 6,500 feet.

Distribution: Occurs across the southern U.S.

Comments: This species can be found in abundance in lower Goldstrike Canyon (Lake Mead NRA). It can also be found at springs in Red Rocks, Zion, and the Grand Canyon.