Adiantum aleuticum (Rupr.) Paris
northern maiden-hair (Aleutian maidenhair)
Pteridaceae (Maidenhair Fern family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Kevin deBoer     (Photo ID #9926)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Adiantum aleuticum
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Deciduous perennial, palmately branched, from a stout, scaly rhizome, 15-75 cm tall.
Leaves:
Broadly fan-shaped, 10-75 cm long; stalks reddish-brown to purplish-black; blades more or less palmately-pinnate, set at right angles to the stalks and more or less parallel to the ground, 10-40 cm long, 10-40 cm wide, rounded to kidney-shaped, forked at the bases into 2 recurved-spreading divisions which in turn bear 2-several shorter divisions, the larger divisions with 15-35, alternate, short-stalked
Notes:
Small plants with small fronds (5 to 15 cm across) and strongly overlapping ultimate segments were described as A. pedatum L. var. subpumilum Wagner. They clearly belong to this species, but no formal nomenclatural transfer has been done yet. This variety is rare on coastal bluffs from northern Vancouver Island south to the Olympic Peninsula, WA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Adiantum aleuticum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
270 0 2100
Slope Gradient (%)
26 0 150

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

293 5 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
4 0 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
446
Modal BEC Zone Class
CWH

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

CDF(3), CWH(394), ESSF(1), ICH(27), IDF(5), MH(4), SBS(2)

Habitat and Range

Moist forests, rocks, scree, cliffs, banks and waterfall spray zones in the lowland and montane zones; frequent throughout BC, mostly S of 55°N, infrequent in SC BC; amphiberingian, N to AK, E to SW AB and S to CO, AZ and CA; disjunct E to PQ and NF and S to PA, WV and MI; E Asia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Adiantum pedatum subsp. aleuticum (Rupr.) Calder & Roy L. Taylor
Adiantum pedatum subsp. calderi Cody
Adiantum pedatum subsp. subpumilum (W.H. Wagner) Lellinger
Adiantum pedatum var. aleuticum Rupr.
Adiantum pedatum var. subpumilum W.H. Wagner