THE TRUE MAIDENHAIR 
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hair is descriptive of two prominent peculiarities of this 
beautiful Fern. Adiantum is derived from the Greek word 
adiantos , which means dry or unmoistened, and refers to 
the singular power which the pinnules of the fronds have of 
resisting the contact of water. If water he poured on to 
these pinnules it never succeeds in wetting them, but rolls off 
in silvery drops. The specific name — capillus- Veneris — 
‘hair of Venus,’ refers to the beautiful hair-like stipes and 
rachides of this Fern. It is an evergreen species, growing 
from a creeping stem or rliizoma, which is thin and delicate, 
covered with black scales, and furnished with black fibrous 
rootlets. From various parts of the rliizoma grow the fronds 
— varying from six inches to two feet, and supported on 
fine, hair-like black and shining stems, which are usually of 
the same length as the triangular-shaped leafy portion of 
the frond, but sometimes double and sometimes treble that 
length. Small specimens are often only bi-pinnate ; but 
good specimens are tri-pinnate. Taking the latter form for 
description we find that branching out [alternately from the 
principal rachis on each side are pinme, the mid-stems of 
which are more finely hair-like than the main rachis. Placed 
alternately along these mid-stems or secondary rachides, are 
yet finer black hair-like stems, upon which are borne some- 
what bluish green fan-shaped lobes, attached by means of the 
finest of hair-like stalks. The lobes also are mostly placed 
alternately along the branches which support them. They 
have pointed bases, and their upper margins are notched or 
lobed. The venation of the lobes consists of two principal 
veins starting from the pointed base in continuation of the 
connecting lobe stem, each principal vein being forked 
two or three times. The ultimate venules proceed to the 
notched margins of the lobes, where they terminate — in the 
barren fronds. In the fertile fronds the outer edges of the 
lobes are turned back or bent under, to form the indusia or 
