Adiantum hispidulum

Rough maidenhair fern

A tough, widespread maidenhair of rainforest and open forest, usually growing among rocks, from eastern Africa through Asia to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. It takes more sun and drought than most maidenhairs, and its new fronds flush pink to bronze before turning green. The wild records cluster in subtropical to warm-temperate eastern Australia and northern New Zealand, so it copes with cool winters.

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

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Terrestrial or on rock, in rainforest and open eucalypt forest, very often among rocks, on boulder-strewn slopes, creek banks and road cuttings. It grows from a short creeping rhizome in pockets of soil between rocks and is more tolerant of brighter, drier spots than typical maidenhairs.

Few records carry an elevation. The Australian and New Zealand records are mostly coastal lowlands and foothills up to the ranges of northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland, roughly sea level to about 1,000 m.

Eastern and south-eastern Australia: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, plus Northern Territory, South Australia and Western AustraliaNew Zealand: North IslandNorfolk, Kermadec and Chatham IslandsPacific islands: New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Cook and Society IslandsMalesia: Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, Philippines, MalayaSouthern and eastern Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, southern China, TaiwanEastern Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Comoros

🔒 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.