Acrostichum aureum

Common Name: Leather Fern, Coastal Leather Fern

Family: Pteridaceae

Country of Origin: widespread in tropics

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 #: 200400286

Accession Date: 2004-12-10 00:00:00

Bloom Status: 🪴 Not Flowering

Location: 3102

Quantity: 3

Source: Brenda Kanno, CSU - Northridge

Division: Ferns

Class: Polypodiopsida

Subclass: Polypodiidae

Order: Polypodiales

SubOrder: Pteridinae

Family: Pteridaceae

SubFamily: Parkeroideae