Monographs Details:
Authority:

Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
Family:

Dryopteridaceae
Description:

Species Description - Rhizome long-creeping, 1-1.5 mm diam.; rhizome scales linear-lanceolate, castaneous, lustrous with markedly paler margins and sagittate base, entire, ca. 3 mm long; phyllopodia distinct; fronds often 1 cm apart, 15-30 cm long, 1.0-2.1 cm wide; stipe ½-2/3 the frond length, with scales mostly 1-2 mm long, brown with pale margin, appressed to slightly spreading, entire to slightly toothed; blade narrowly elliptic, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, apex acuminate to acute or obtuse, base cuneate; veins inconspicuous, free, simple or once-forked, 0.8-1 mm apart, at 60-70° angle; hydathodes present but inconspicuous; blade scales of lower surface generally abundant but not overlapping, lanceolate to deltoid, peltate, brown with pale margins, upper surface often essentially glabrous; fertile fronds slightly taller than the sterile, longer stipe (2/3-3/4 the length), scales sparse on abaxial midvein, lacking among the sporangia; spores with low, broad ridges and abundant spicules covering all surfaces.

Discussion:

Acrostichum mathewsii Fée, Mém. foug. 2: 54, t. 2, f. 2. 1845. Type. Peru. Mathews s.n. (frag. B!). Acrostichum hartwegii Fée, Mém. foug. 2: 53, t. 9, f. 2, 1845. Elaphoglossum hartwegii (Fée) Moore, Index fil. xvi. 1857. Type. Colombia. Bogotá, Hartweg 1486 (K!). Specimens in Mexico and Guatemala tend to be somewhat broader than those of South America, but more intensive studies are necessary in this complex before distinctions can be made with confidence.
Distribution:

Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Costa Rica South America|