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A very beautiful species with large bold foliage. It occurs in three populations in the world, one in China and
one in East Africa. Mine was sent to me by a friend in Madiera
and came from the third population in the Canary Isles. There is no reason to expect it to be hardy but it has survived for a couple of years in the unheated conservatory without damage and this year I am going to try it under the bench in a cold greenhouse (building work, the conservatory is currently unavailable as a winter refuge for tender plants). iNaturalist says: "Adiantum reniforme (kidney-leaved maidenhair fern) is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum (maidenhairs), family Pteridaceae. It grows in sheltered rock crevices and on walls. It is native to Madeira (the type locality), Canary Islands and Cape Verde islands, and patchily in East Africa, Madagascar, the Mascarene Islands, Comoros, as well as a few relictual sites in the Tibesti in Chad. The leaves are large, round, dichotomously veined and have a very narrow red edge, marking the presence of the marginal indusium on the underside. A similar taxon of Adiantum that is found only in the Three Gorges area of Wanzhou, Chongqing, China was formerly regarded as a Tertiary relictual variety of this species, and named as Adiantum reniforme var. sinense. This variety has since been elevated to species level as Adiantum nelumboides, the lotus-leaved maidenhair fern. It is threatened with extinction due to habitat destruction caused by the Three Gorges Dam." Sue Olsen says: "Adiantum reniforme (kidney-shaped) is a marvel of overlapping kelly-green pinnae looking like miniature, leather lily pads, and completely distinct from the stereotypical feathery appearance traditionally associated with maidenhairs. The 2in (5cm) pinnae are totally bordered by fertile marginal segments and supported by hairy wires of dark brown stipes. The whole mass matures at a flat topped 6 to 12in (15 to 30cm). It is native to surprisingly exposed sites. My late husband, Harry, and I were amazed and delighted to discover cascades of fronds perched high above the waterfall at trail's end on the popular Canary Island hike into the Baranco del Infierno (less poetically, Hells Gorge) on Tenerife. The substrate is lime and that is the recommended planting medium, along with porous soil, for keeping this conversation piece in good health. It is for dedicated specialists in Zones 9 and 10 or tempered indoor sites elsewhere." |
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| 2nd June 2007 | ||
