Adiantum, the maidenhair fern, is a genus of about 200 species of ferns in the Vittarioideae subfamily of the family Pteridaceae, though some researchers place it in its own family, Adiantaceae.
The maidenhair fern is part of the Adiantum genus that includes over 200 varieties of ferns that grow around the world. The genus name is derived from the Greek word "adiantos," which means "unwetted," and is an apt description since the leaves of the maidenhair fern repel water. This plant has delicate fan-shaped leaf segments that are typically clustered on wiry black stems. Maidenhair ferns are known to grow in places where other plants typically don't—they can naturally be found on rock walls and in between rock fissures where the moisture from water seepage keeps them alive.