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Accession Data:

Acrostichum aureum L.

  • Common Name: Leather Fern, Coastal Leather Fern
  • Family: Pteridaceae Ching

  • Country of Origin: widespread in tropics
  • Habitat: native to brackish water - typically rooted in mud with foliage held up

  • Description: Acrostichum aureum, the golden leather fern, is a large understory fern that occurs in mangrove forests and other wetlands. Plants measure approximately 1.2 - 1.8m (4 - 6 feet) in height and are as broad as they are tall. Fronds are usually arching around the periphery of the plant, but tend to be more erect near the center. The thick, leathery leaves are compound and large, measuring over 1m (3.3 feet) in length, and 12 - 50 cm (4.8 - 19.7 inches) in width. There are 24 - 30 pairs of alternate leaflets (pinnae) that are non-overlapping, rounded at the tips, and measure approximately 10 - 34 cm (3.9 - 13.3 inches) in length X 1.3 - 7 cm (0.5 - 2.8 inches) in width. Leaves are shiny and typically dark green above, but paler on the leaf underside. Leaf margins are somewhat uneven and wavy in appearance.

    No sori are present as in other ferns. Rather, sporangia are distributed over the entire underside of reproductive pinnae (the most distal 5 or more pairs), lending a felt-like texture to these leaves. Sporangia are brick red to rust red in color, with spores measuring 37 - 72 µm in diameter.

  • USDA Zone: 9-10

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 200400286
  • Source: Brenda Kanno, CSU - Northridge
  • Accession Date: 12-10-2004
  • Bench: 3102 - FERN:East Wall-North
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 2 confirmed on 11-29-2024
  • Restrictions:

    Classification:

    • Division: Ferns
    • Class: Polypodiopsida
    • SubClass: Polypodiidae
    • Order: Polypodiales
    • SubOrder: Pteridinae
    • Family: Pteridaceae
    • SubFamily: Parkeroideae
    • Tribe:
    • SubTribe:

    Flowering Data:

    This accession has been observed in bloom on:
    YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
    2024
    2023
    2022
    2021
    2020
    2019
    2018
    2017
    2016
    2015
    2014
    2013

    References (internal):

    • Ferns & Fern Allies

    References (external):

    1. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce
    2. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Accessed 9 June 2015.
    3. Acrostichum aureum at Wikipedia. Accessed 9 June 2015.

    data regenerated on Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:42:03 -0500 [bcm v4.0]

    Images:

    No default accession image assigned

    Additional images for this accession:

    Click on thumbnails to enlarge

    Current Accessions in the Pteridaceae

    Subfamily Cheilanthoideae

    • Aspidotis densa
    • Cheilanthes eatonii
    • Cheilanthes microphylla
    • Doryopteris concolor
    • Hemionitis arifolia
    • Hemionitis sinuata
    • Pellaea rotundifolia
    • Pellaea viridis

    Subfamily Cryptogrammoideae

    • Coniogramme intermedia

    Subfamily Parkeroideae

    • Acrostichum aureum
    • Ceratopteris pteridoides

    Subfamily Pteridoideae

    • Actiniopteris semiflabellata
    • Anogramma leptophylla
    • Pteris cretica
    • Pteris ensiformis

    Subfamily Vittarioideae

    • Adiantum cv. "Ocean spray"
    • Adiantum cv. (variegated)
    • Adiantum hispidulum cv.
    • Adiantum macrophyllum
    • Adiantum raddianum cv.
    • Vittaria lineata
    W/C = Wild Collected
    = indicates flowering in past 14 days
    = images available for this accession
    = map available for this accession
    = accession added within past 90 days
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