Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Adiantum jordanii is a perennial species Pteridaceae known by the common name California maidenhair. It is native to California and Baja California. It grows in shaded woods, usually in wetter spots such as moist rock outcropping and lower parts of north facing slopes. It can take a little sun near the coast or full shade inland. Each trailing leaf may reach over half a meter in length and is made up of many rounded green segments. Each segment has two to four lobes and it may split between the lobes, the underside of each segment bearing one to four sori. It remains evergreen with regular water or will go dormant if allowed to dry out in summer but should recover. It forms a slowly expanding clump. Adiantum jordanii is a host for the Sudden Oak Death pathogen, and for this reason it may be difficult to find in native plant nurseries.

Plant type

Fern

Size

2 ft Tall
2 - 3 ft Wide

Form

Fountain

Dormancy

Evergreen, Summer Semi-deciduous

Fragrance

None

Special uses

Containers, Deer resistant

Sun

Deep Shade, Partial Shade

Water

Low, Moderate, High

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates sand or clay soils.
Soil PH: 5.5 - 8.2

Sunset Zones

7, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17

Site type

Shaded streamsides, seeps, springs, moist hillsides, north side of rock outcroppings

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Use in a damp, shaded area with other shade-loving plants such as other ferns, Wild Ginger (Asarum spp.), Bush Anemone (Carpenteria californica), Western Dichondra (Dichondra occidentalis), Dogwood (Cornus spp.), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria spp.), Alumroot (Heuchera spp.), Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes spp.), Meadow Rue (Thalictrum spp.), Bee Plant (Scrophularia californica), and Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea)