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Acrostichum danaeifolium Langsd. & Fisch.

Giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionPteridophytaFerns
ClassFilicopsida“Leptosporangiate” (has to do with how their spores form) ferns—includes most ferns
OrderPolypodialesPolypod ferns
FamilyPteridaceaeFerns that grow on rocks (mostly)
GenusAcrostichumOriginally assigned by Linnaeus, referring to ferns whose spores-bearing sori are distributed in a uniform mass across the back of the frond, rather than organized in discrete sori, from Greek akros, “terminal,” and stichos, “a row or line,” in reference to the fertile fronds
SpeciesdanaeifoliumRefers to the similarity of fronds to those of the fern Danaea

About plant names...

The giant leather fern is a native of the central and southern peninsula of Florida, and Puerto Rico in the United States. It is also found in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America; possibly also in western Africa. It prefers brackish and freshwater marshes.

Plants: Plants are comprised of a set of fronds that emerge from a central location, producing an inverted cone shape that can reach 10' (3 m) or more in height and width.

Leaves: Fronds can reach 6½-13' (2-4 m) in length. Fertile fronds are brown underneath, due to the presence of sporangia; while infertle fronds are green. Leaves are pinnately compound, with pinnae up to 24" (60 cm) long. Pinnae have rough, wavy edges. They are approximately opposite.

Online References:

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Www.fernsoftheworld.com

Wildsouthflorida.com

Www.levypreserve.org

The University of Florida IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm)

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida
≈ 12 × 19" (31 × 47 cm)

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/13/2015 · West Lake Trail, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 4 × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

Acrostichum excelsum Maxon

 

Acrostichum danaeifolium description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 May 2023.

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Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/13/2015 · West Lake Trail, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 31 × 21" (79 × 53 cm)

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/12/2015 · Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 31 × 21" (79 × 53 cm)

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/12/2015 · Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 15 × 10" (37 × 25 cm)

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida
≈ 21 × 31" (53 × 79 cm)

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/11/2015 · Big Cypress Bend, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida
≈ 14 × 10" (35 × 25 cm) ID is uncertain

Acrostichum danaeifolium (giant leather fern, leather fern, inland leather fern)

4/12/2015 · Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, Florida
≈ 22 × 16" (56 × 39 cm)

Range: Zones 9-11:

About this map...