General Landscape Uses: A large specimen or accent fern useful in wet areas nearly throughout South Florida. It is especiall useful along the edges of freshwater or brackish ponds and marshes.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Nearly ubiquitous in wetlands throughout South Florida and can become dominant in certain situations.
Description: Large shrub-like herbaceous fern with ascending or arching fronds. Fronds to about 10 feet long or more.
Dimensions: Typically 6-12 feet in height. As broad as tall or broader, but often growing in large masses.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range: Monroe County Keys north to St. Johns and Dixie counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.
Habitats: A wide variety of freshwater or brackish wetlands from marshes to swamps.
Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to inundated organic freshwater or brackish soils.
Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color: N/A.
Flower Characteristics: There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous spores.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from spores. Small plants can be transplanted.
References: Nelson 2003.
Comments: This is the more common of our two native species of Acrostichum. It can be distinguished from A. aurem by its longer fronds and more crowded pinnae (leaflets).
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