ADIANTUM. 
181 
cate, fan-shaped. Sori roundish or oblong, situated on the 
margin. Involucres formed of a lobe of the leaf turned 
back. 
Name from adiantos, dry, on account of a property 
the leaflets have of turning off the damp. 
The roots of the Maiden-hair are wiry, black, and 
fibrous ; the caudex is scaly, 
and somewhat creeping ; the 
stems slender, unbranched for 
half the length, and then 
spreading in alternate branches 
and hair-like footstalks ; the 
leaflets are extremely delicate 
and semi-transparent in tex- 
ture, yet so succulent that 
under strong pressure they 
yield three-quarters of their 
weight in juice; they are ir- 
regularly fan- shaped, each 
lobe bearing a sorus at the 
point, and folding back with 
it as if for security. 
This is perhaps the most elegant of all our ferns, its 
lightly-strung leaflets trembling in every zephyr, and 
render it equally desirable for the rock-work in the 
greenhouse, and the bouquet of the bride. 
It used to be much vaunted for its many virtues, 
which Ray and others detail. Its juice entered largely 
into the liquid called capillaire , which Sir J. E. Smith 
tells us formed a refreshing beverage. On the Continent 
the Maiden-hair is still made into a wash for the head, 
and is considered greatly to promote the growth of the 
hair. 
