One of our treasured maidenhair ferns in the garden is our spore-grown selection, Adiantum aethiopicum ‘Barrington Queen’. This, and our previous introduction, Adiantum ‘Barrington Belle’, were grown from a 2017 David Denton spore collection in New South Wales, Australia. Adiantum ‘Barrington Queen’ has the slightly larger pinnae of the two selections. Adiantum aethiopicum, similar to the slightly larger Adiantum capillus-veneris, is a mostly tropical fern, native to warmer parts of Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Islands, and Africa, which is why this spore collection from a higher elevation, colder region much more winter hardy.
