Adiantum raddianum 'Fritz Lüthi' - Capillaire radiée Fritz Lüthi, Capillaire radiée Fritz-Luth

Adiantum raddianum ‘Fritz Lüthi’, the capillary fern also known as Venus hair fern, possesses the rare talent of bringing lightness to a room without cluttering it. Its lacy fronds, borne on dark stems, work wonders on a console table, near a veiled window, or in a temperate conservatory. It is a plant of choice for lovers of fine foliage and slightly "woodland" atmospheres, provided it is given a stable, gentle, and humid environment.

Belonging to the Pteridaceae family, the species Adiantum raddianum is native to tropical Americas and the Caribbean, where it lives in humid environments, sometimes on rocks or cool slopes, in filtered light. It is a lithophytic plant. Botanical synonyms include Adiantum cuneatum or Adiantum rubellum, with vernacular names such as radiate maidenhair fern or cuneate maidenhair.
‘Fritz Lüthi’ is a Swiss horticultural selection, appearing in the 1950s, prized for its firmer and well-upright fronds. The plant forms a clump from short rootstocks; the shiny, black petioles bear triangular fronds composed of small fan-shaped segments, rounded to triangular, more or less lobed and often slightly overlapping. The foliage is evergreen year-round indoors. Like all ferns, it does not flower: reproduction is by spores, discreetly housed under the edge of the segments.
At maturity, in a pot, it reaches 30 to 50 cm in height with a comparable width. Its growth is fairly rapid if the air is humid and its roots remain cool.
This variety is considered non-toxic, but ingestion of leaves may cause minor digestive discomfort and should therefore be avoided.

Indoors, provide it with bright light but no direct sun, humid air, and a stable temperature between 16 and 24 °C; avoid exposing it to temperatures below 10 °C. Its cultivation method is similar to that of indoor Pteris, but with a more pronounced requirement for humidity. This fern dislikes rooms that are too dry and forgotten waterings.

With Adiantum ‘Fritz Lüthi’, everything depends on humidity: it thrives particularly in a slightly heated conservatory, an indoor greenhouse, or a large, well-ventilated terrarium, always in soft light without direct sun. Under glass or near a humidifier, this maidenhair fern more easily finds what it needs. You can pair it with Pteris cretica ‘Albolineata’, the crocodile fern Microsorum musifolium 'Crocodyllus' and Fittonia ‘Mini White’, two cultivars that love the same bright shade and a very humid atmosphere.