southern maidenhair fern

noun

plural southern maidenhair ferns
: a maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) that grows chiefly on moist calcareous rocks and has delicate fronds with fan-shaped, lobed pinnae (see pinna sense 2) : venus hair fern

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of southern maidenhair fern was in 1898

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Cite this Entry

“Southern maidenhair fern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/southern%20maidenhair%20fern. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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