Acrostichum  

The common names of Acrostichum L. are the leather ferns or leather swamp ferns (“Acrostichum: Leather ferns,” n.d.). The genus Acrostichum has a number of species; Acrostichum aureum (Golden Mangrove Fern), Acrostichum chrysophyllum, Acrostichum conforme (Deer’s-tongue), Acrostichum grande, Acrostichum repandum, Acrostichum speciosum (Mangrove Fern) and Acrostichum velleum (“Acrostichum L.,” n.d.). This genus is native to Western Australia (“Acrostichum aureum L.,” n.d.). This genus gave rise to the word acrostichoid, due to the tightly packed sporangia on the abaxial side of the lamina (Tindale, 2009). The presence of sporangia and the absence of sori differentiate Acrostichum from other ferns (Hill, 2006).