This handsome maidenhair has pinkish-bronze new growth and a distinctive fuzziness on the stipes, blades and sori of its fronds.  It has a beautiful habit of gently arching its upright fronds downward at the tips in a fountain effect, unlike temperate species A. aleuticum and A. pedatum which tend to be more upright with horizontally stretching blades.  Native to southern India, eastern Africa and some Pacific Islands, this evergreen fern will grow in high or low humidity conditions and makes an outstanding houseplant when provided with adequate light.  It also makes a nice addition to gardens in the milder climes of USDA zones 7-10, and has actually escaped from cultivation in parts of the eastern United States.  Like other evergreen maidenhair ferns, the Rough Maidenhair Fern enjoys a periodic trimming to remove old fronds as they start to degenerate; this helps make space for new emerging fronds and promotes good air circulation.  This fern also enjoys drying out a bit between waterings rather than needing the constant moisture that more temperate maidenhair ferns demand.

Frond Condition: Evergreen to Semi-Evergreen

Mature Height: 18"

Origin: southern India, eastern Africa and some Pacific Islands

USDA Zones: 7, 8, 9, 10 or as houseplant

Cultural Requirments: Part Shade, Evenly Moist* (likes to dry out between waterings, will tolerate low humidity), winter protect from extreme cold or excessive moisture in marginal zones