What is "adiantum pedatum"

maidenhair \maid"en*hair`\, maidenhair fern \maidenhair fern\, n. (Bot.) Any of various small to large terrestrial ferns of the genus Adiantum having very slender graceful stalks and delicate palmately branched fronds, especially ( Adiantum pedatum). It is common in the United States, and is sometimes used in medicine. The name is also applied to other species of the same genus, as to the Venus-hair.

Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair fern, five-fingered fern) is a species of fern in the family Pteridaceae, native to moist forests in eastern North America. Like other ferns in the genus, the name maidenhair refers to the slender, shining black stipes.

Several species have been segregated from the former A. pedatum, sensu latu. These include A. aleuticum, A. viridimontanum, A. myriosorum, and A. subpedatum. These all have fronds distinctively bifurcated and with pinnae on only one side.

A. pedatum grows tall, and is deciduous. It grows in a variety of habitats, but generally favors soils that are both humus-rich, moist, and well-drained. It grows both in soils and on rock faces and ledges when adequate moisture is present.