Species library › Adiantum › Adiantum ciliatum
Ferns Well documented

Adiantum ciliatum

A small, trailing maidenhair fern of tropical and subtropical Asia (also known as Adiantum malesianum) that grows on shaded limestone rocks, cliff bases, karst forest and old walls. Its narrow, once-divided fronds often root at the tips, so it creeps across rock faces. It is a tough, low-elevation species that wants constant light moisture, shade and a limy, free-draining footing rather than a bog.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Grows at the foot of rocks, on limestone outcrops and cliff faces, in karst evergreen and broadleaf forest, and commonly on old mortared city walls and roadside banks. Herbarium labels repeatedly mention limestone and semishaded positions; urban records from Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong are on walls and masonry.

Specimen labels run from sea level to about 1520 m, with most between roughly 100 and 800 m.

Sri LankaNepalSouthern ChinaTaiwanHong Kong and MacauIndochinaThailandMalesiaPacific Islands

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.