FNPS Plant Database

Acrostichum danaeifolium

giant leather fern

  • ©Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

  • ©Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

  • ©Ginny Stibolt

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

giant leather fern

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Acrostichum danaeifolium

Family:

Pteridaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

fern

Size:

6-12 ft tall by 5-10 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Evergreen. Fertile fronds present nearly year round.

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or mass background planting in moist areas. Could be used as a hedge. As this fern gets very tall, it is not appropriate as a groundcover.

Considerations:

Not drought tolerant.

Availability:

Native Plant Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Friends

Propagation:

Light:

Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

-|- <--------------------> ----|----|----|----|----|----|----|-

Aquatic ---to--- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Tolerant of inundation with brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Clay, Loam, Organic (muck), Sand

Soil pH:

6-5-7.5

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Birds, Mammals
Used as cover.

Native Habitats:

Brackish and freshwater marshes, swamps, river floodplains.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Fiddleheads are edible. Fronds have been used as thatch.

General Comments:

Can be cut back to improve appearance, but should not be severely pruned more than once a year. Reddish-brown spores cover undersides of leaves giving them a bi-color appearance.

Citations:

Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Nelson, Gil. 2003. Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Workman, Richard W. 1980. Growing Native: Native Plants for Landscape Use in Coastal South Florida. Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Inc.: Sanibel, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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