The maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris L.), is a plant with 10-40 cm of hight. It is a medicinal plant but is not used in Italy for this cause.
Its natural habitat is represented by shady spots and moist soil. In Italy it grows in areas like the Valley Port of Positano.
The leaves are light and delicate and, to this feature the plant has been referenced to Venus, goddess of beauty. The leaves are wedge-shaped, 5-10 mm long, light green in color, and are placed on a thin spine .It is also known as the beard of Jupiter.
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Notes
Sandro Pignatti, Flora d'Italia, Bologna, Edagricole, 1982, Volume 1, p. 51