Etymology

Family

Pteridaceae, subfamily Parkerioideae

Nomenclature

Acrostichum aureum L., Sp. Pl. : 1069. 1753; Bedd., Handb. Ferns Brit. India: 440, f. 268. 1883; Tardieu & C.Chr., Fl. Indo-Chine 7(2): 162, f. 19–3. 1940; Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya ed. 1, 2: 409, f. 239. 1955 [‘1954’]; Holttum, Dansk Bot. Ark. 20: 27. 1961; Seidenf., Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 19: 86. 1958; Tagawa & K.Iwats., SouthE. Asian Stud. 3(3): 83. 1965; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 23: 55. 1968; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 258. 1985; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 105, 125. 2000; Dy Phon, Dictionary of Plants used in Cambodia: 8. 2000. 

Description

Terrestrial, including in flooded areas. Rhizome thick, erect, scaly; scales about 4 by 1.5–2 cm, central portion thick and dark brown, edges thin, broad, pale, entire. Stipes up to 1 m long, thick, stramineous to pale castaneous, glabrous upwards, bearing on upper portion small spine-like remains of reduced glandular pinnae. Frond imparipinnate, up to 4 m or more high including stipe, narrowly oblong to elliptic in outline; lateral sterile pinnae ascending, with stalks of up to 2.5 cm long, narrowly oblong, rounded to retuse and shortly mucronate at apex, cuneate to rounded and more or less irregular at base, entire at cartilaginous margin, 30–50 by 4–8 cm, coriaceous, glabrous; costa grooved above, distinctly raised below, veins raised below, hardly visible on upper surface, close, forming somewhat regularly arranged areoles up to 2 by 0.8 mm. Fertile pinnae only on upper portion, like the sterile ones but smaller. Sporangia scattered on whole of under surface of pinnae except on costa; paraphyses capitate, with small multilobed apical cells.

Distribution in Thailand

SOUTH-WESTERN: Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan; CENTRAL: Bangkok, Samut Prakan; SOUTH-EASTERN: Chachoengsao, Prachuap Khiri Khan; PENINSULAR: Surat Thani, Satun, Trang, Pattani.

Distribution in Cambodia

Kampot

Wider Distribution

Pantropical.

Ecology

Common in mangrove swamps and tidal forests.

IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC) as listed on the IUCN Red List at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/177110/0.

Notes

In Cambodia the young leaves are eaten in salads (Dy PHon, 2000).