Ferns🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -20°C

Maidenhair spleenwort

Asplenium trichomanes

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Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) is a small, originally native, and mostly evergreen fern. The narrow leaves consist of numerous round to oval leaflets along a shiny dark brown to black stalk. The species grows in crevices of old walls, rocks, wells, quay walls, and stone slopes. Various forms occur on both acidic and calcareous rock types. The roots need little soil but require a porous crevice where some moisture and organic material remain present.

Specific care needed

Plant in a porous wall crevice, rock fissure, or very well-draining substrate. Do not use dense cement joints and avoid letting the root zone dry out completely. Do not transplant established wall plants.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Pruning period

Do not prune regularly. Remove only completely dead leaves without pulling the roots from the joint.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Half shade, Shade

Soil type: Sand, Loam, Humus-rich

Moisture need: Dry, Moderately moist

pH: Acidic (<5.5), Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5), Neutral (6.5–7.5), Chalky (>7.5)

Nutrient richness: Nutrient-poor, Moderately nutrient-rich

Humus content: Humus-poor, Moderately humus-rich

Water drainage: Strongly draining, Well draining

Appearance & season

Mature height: 5-35cm

Bloom: Niet van toepassing

Autumn colour: Evergreen and without clear autumn color.

Properties

Salt sensitive: Yes

Edible: No

Do not consume.

Scent: No distinctive odor. The small, leathery leaf hardly spreads any scent.

Creeping rhizome: No

Ecological value

Maidenhair Spleenwort forms small green islands in stony environments. Mites, springtails, small beetles, spiders, and snails live between the roots and leaves. Specialized caterpillars and leaf miners can also use spleenworts. The evergreen clump offers year-round micro-shelter. On old walls, the species contributes to a varied vegetation of ferns, mosses, and lichens. Birds can search for small invertebrates among the leaves, but for mammals, the plant is too small to provide much cover.

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsUseful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesLimited

🪰 HoverfliesUseful

🦋 ButterfliesUseful

🪲 Beetles & insectsUseful

🐦 BirdsUseful

🐿️ MammalsUseful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

Despite its small size, Maidenhair Spleenwort can provide habitat for specialized fern-feeders and very small wall-bound animals. Its ecological value lies primarily in the microhabitat between stone, roots, and leaves. For larger animals and pollinators, its direct significance is limited.

Distribution in the Netherlands