E20151217-0002—Adiantum aleuticum—RPBG (23726698002)

Description:

Adiantum aleuticum—Western maidenhair. The genus name come from the Greek term for "unwettable", referring to the genus's ability to repel raindrops. One tale concerning the origin of the common name of "maidenhair" comes from its purported use as a method of proving a damsel's virtue: if she was able to hold a frond without the leaves trembling then she was chaste. The species is found Alaska south along the Pacific coast into Southern California with disjunct populations in the Rockies, the Eastern United States and Canada, and Mexico. To quote the _Flora of North America_, "Adiantum aleuticum occurs in a variety of habitats throughout its range, from moist, wooded ravines to stark serpentine barrens and from coastal cliffs to subalpine boulder fields." Photographed at Regional Parks Botanic Garden located in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, CA.