Plant
Walking Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum philippenseAlso known as Black Maidenhair
Walking maidenhair ferns feature delicate, light green fan-shaped pinnules set along striking dark stipes. Their arching fronds produce miniature plantlets at extended tips that root upon touching damp soil, allowing colonies to walk across shady slopes. They thrive in humid tropical microclimates, clinging to moist earth banks, mossy rocks, and stream margins.
Spore BearingShade TolerantPerennial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAutotrophic (Photosynthesis)
Predators
- Slugs
- Snails
- Insect Larvae
ThreatsHabitat destruction, deforestation
HabitatsMoist shaded banks, stream borders, rocky crevices
Life spanPerennial
Classification
- FamilyPteridaceae
- SpeciesAdiantum philippense
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Observation: Examine frond tips to locate newly forming rooted plantlets.
- Habitat Spotting: Look along moist, shaded earth banks and mossy rock crevices.
- Photography: Focus on the bold contrast between jet-black stipes and soft green foliage.
Convergent Species (c) Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Norton · cc-by
Close Relative Starfarmer / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Close Relative Doug McGrady from Warwick, RI, USA / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.