Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Five-fingered Jack


Adiantum hispidulum
Family: ADIANTACEAE

This little fern is looking splendid in my garden at present.
It’s a native maidenhair, more drought-hardy than the more familiar common maidenhair (which is also native), therefore a good garden plant. It likes to have all its leaves cut off once a year. I did it to this plant in autumn, and you can see how beautifully it has bounced back.
Its favourite site is a position where it gets some full sun, but for less than half a day. Mine is against a west-facing wall.

          Poor Jack, by the way, is not good at counting. He might actually have as many as eight fingers.

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