Adiantum sp.
Family: Pteridaceae · Type: Perennial · Variable; species dependent
Adiantum sp. is a non-native California perennial in the Pteridaceae family.
How to tell it apart
vs Polystichum: Adiantum has fan-shaped leaflets on black stems; sword ferns have narrow pointed segments on brown stems.; vs Pellaea: Feel the leaflet - Adiantum is thin and delicate, Pellaea is thick and leathery.; vs Thalictrum: Adiantum has spore cases under rolled leaf edges; meadow-rue has flowers and seeds, not spores.; vs Polypodium: Adiantum has fan-shaped leaflets with spores under margins; polypody has elongated segments with round sori.; vs Pentagramma: Adiantum leaflets are thin and delicate; goldback fern leaflets are thicker with powder underneath.
Frequently asked questions
Is Adiantum sp. native to California?
No. Adiantum sp. is not native to California (recorded as variable; species dependent).
What plant family does Adiantum sp. belong to?
Adiantum sp. is in the Pteridaceae family, genus Adiantum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Adiantum aleuticum — Five-finger fern
- Adiantum capillus-veneris — Southern maidenhair
- Adiantum jordanii — California maidenhair
- Adiantum shastense — Shasta maidenhair
- Argyrochosma jonesii — Jones' false cloak-fern
- Argyrochosma limitanea subsp. limitanea — Southwestern false cloak-fern
- Argyrochosma sp.
- Aspidotis californica — California lace fern
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.