| Golden leather fern | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Growing among Metroxylon sagu in Indonesia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| Family: | Pteridaceae |
| Genus: | Acrostichum |
| Species: | A. aureum |
| Binomial name | |
| Acrostichum aureum | |
Acrostichum aureum, the golden leather fern, is a large species of fern that grows in mangrove swamps and other wet locations. Other common names include swamp fern and mangrove fern.
The golden leather fern has large fronds growing to a length of 1.8 metres (six feet). The leaves are glossy, broad and pinnate, the pinnae being dark green, leathery, alternate and widely spaced. The outer fronds arch over sideways but the central ones are nearly straight. Some of the larger fronds bear sporangia (reproductive organs) on the upper five to eight pairs of pinnae. These are brick red and give the pinnae a felted appearance. [2]
The golden leather fern is found in tropical and sub-tropical areas around the world. It grows in swamps and mangrove forests, salt marshes and on river banks and is tolerant of raised salinity levels. The spores germinate better, however, in fresh water. It tends to grow on slight elevations in the mangrove swamp in areas which are inundated by the sea occasionally. It can also grow in freshwater locations. In Malaysia there are two plant forms. The larger ones occur on the periphery of the swamp where they may reach 4 metres (13 ft) while much more stunted plants grow in the areas which are frequently inundated. It can grow in full sun or in deep shade and it has been found that the mangrove Rhizophora mucronata can regenerate in dense stands of the fern. [2]
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the golden leather fern as being of "Least Concern"" because it is common, is fast growing, regenerates easily and has few threats. It grows vigorously in disturbed areas of mangrove forest and may be difficult to eradicate. [1]
In Cambodia, where the fern is known as prâng' tük (prâng'="cycad", tük="aquatic", Khmer language), the young leaves are eaten in salads. [3]
In the Indian state of Goa the fern is consumed cooked in a spicy coconut based gravy known as tonak. It is considered a delicacy by the local people.[ citation needed ]
Golden leather fern can be grown under high light in garden soil or potting mix, if the substrate is kept constantly wet. Ordinary fresh water (not brackish water) is sufficient for cultivation. [4]
The Ébrié Lagoon lies in Ivory Coast, separated for almost all of its length from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip. The 130 km (80 mi) long lagoon is linked to the sea by the Vridi Canal, while the Comoë River flows into it. The lagoon averages 4 km in width, and 5 m (16 ft) in depth. Abidjan and towns such as Grand Bassam, Bingerville, Jacqueville, Attécoubé, and Tiagba lie on the lagoon.
Onoclea sensibilis, the sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized deciduous perennial fern. The name comes from its sensitivity to frost, the fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is sometimes treated as the only species in Onoclea, but some authors do not consider the genus monotypic.
Gymnosphaera hornei is a species of tree fern in the Cyatheaceae family.
Phlebodium aureum is an epiphytic fern native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
Ceratopteris thalictroides is a fern species belonging to the genus Ceratopteris, one of only two genera of the subfamily Parkerioideae of the family Pteridaceae.
Sindora siamensis is a species of tree in the subfamily Detarioideae of the family Fabaceae. It has an accepted infraspecific, the variety S. siamensis var. maritima (Pierre) K.Larsen & S.S.Larsen. See taxon box to the right below, and below for details on the variety maritima. The nominate species is found in many countries in tropical Asia. Like several other species in the genus Sindora, its wood is considered valuable; the least concern conservation status may reflect efforts to replant this species, but mortality rates are high. As well as the wood, the plant provides raw material for chemical products, food and drink, and domestic utensils.
Pongara National Park is a national park in Gabon, located near the capital, Libreville, on the south side of the Gabon Estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. Covering an area of 929km2. The national park is composed chiefly of moist tropical forests and mangrove forests.
Parablechnum wattsii, synonym Blechnum wattsii, is a common terrestrial fern growing in rainforest and open forest. It is often seen near creeks in much of south eastern Australia, including Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. The specific epithet wattsii honours William Walter Watts (1856-1920). Watts was considered an authority on mosses and ferns and has more than 30 species named for him. Common names by which the species may be called are hard water fern - from its stiff leathery fronds, leech fern - as forest workers often encounter leaches while working in clusters of these ferns, hard hill fern - from the fern's habit and habitat, and red cabbage fern - from the bronze-pink colour of the young fronds resembling cooked red cabbage.
Acrostichum is a fern genus in the Parkerioideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. It was one of the original pteridophyte genera delineated by Linnaeus. It was originally drawn very broadly, including all ferns that had sori apparently "acrostichoid", or distributed in a uniform mass across the back of the frond, rather than organized in discrete sori. This led Linnaeus to include such species as Asplenium platyneuron in the genus, because the specimen he received had sori so crowded that it appeared acrostichoid.
Gleichenia dicarpa, commonly known as pouched coral fern or tangle fern, is a small fern of the family Gleicheniaceae found in eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. It forms tangled thickets in wet places such as swamps and riverbanks.
Angiopteris evecta, commonly known as the king fern, giant fern, elephant fern, oriental vessel fern, Madagascar tree fern, or mule's Foot fern, is a very large rainforest fern in the family Marattiaceae native to most parts of Southeast Asia and Oceania. It has a history dating back about 300 million years, and is believed to have the longest fronds of any fern in the world.
Histiopteris incisa, the bat's wing fern, water fern or fern mata, is a common plant found in Australia, New Zealand and other islands in the south Pacific region. Usually found in moist areas, where it may form large colonies. The lowermost lobes of each pinnae have a bat wing like appearance, giving the fern its common name.
Osmunda spectabilis, known as American royal fern, is a species of fern native to a large area of the New World, from the eastern half of Canada and the United States to Argentina.
Rhizophora mucronata is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific region.
Because Cuba is an archipelago made up by 4,197 islands,(including the two largest: Cuba proper, and Isla de la Juventud) the combined area of coast results in 5,746 square kilometers ; most of it being covered by mangrove forest. These mangrove forests make up 20 percent of the forested areas in the island, covering a total of 4.8 percent of the territory.
The Esmeraldas-Pacific Colombia mangroves (NT1409) is an ecoregion of mangrove forests along the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador. It is threatened by human population growth, leading to over-exploitation for wood and clearance for farming and aquaculture.
Mickelopteris is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae with a single species Mickelopteris cordata. Synonyms include Parahemionitis cordata and Hemionitis cordataRoxb. ex Hook. & Grev. The species is native to south-eastern Asia, from India to Taiwan and the Philippines.
The Alvarado mangroves ecoregion covers a series of mangrove forest areas along the Gulf of Mexico coast of the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz in Mexico. they are the most northerly mangroves in the western Gulf. The largest tracts of mangrove swamps occur at the mouths of rivers, and nearby coastal lagoon.
Sri Lanka exhibits a remarkable biological diversity and is considered to be the richest country in Asia in terms of species concentration.
Telmatoblechnum serrulatum, the toothed midsorus fern, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, native to Florida, southeastern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, northern and western South America, Brazil, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina.
