Elaphoglossum rigidum (Aubl.) Urb.

  • Authority

    Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.

  • Family

    Dryopteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Elaphoglossum rigidum (Aubl.) Urb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome short-creeping or ascending, 3-5 mm thick, clothed with dark brown, deltate- to lanceattenuate scales 2-3 mm long, these peltately attached near base, glandular-filiform at apex, with margins obscurely toothed and bearing a few pluricellular gland-tipped hairs. Sterile fronds closely clustered, erect, 15-45 cm long, with very short stipes scarcely diflferentiated from decurrent base of blades; blades lanceolate or very narrowly elliptic, 2-4.5 cm broad near or below the middle, evenly narrowed to both ends, the apex long-acuminate; veins simple or 1 -forked chiefly near the base, the slightly enlarged tips almost reaching the cartilaginous margins. Fertile fronds shorter than the sterile ones, long-stipitate; stipes 12-16 cm long; blades elliptic, 14-16 cm long, ca. 2.5 cm broad.

  • Discussion

    Basionym. Polypodium rigidum Aublet, Hist. pl. Guiane 2: 963. 1775.

    Type. Aublet, from French Guiana (not seen). Aublet also cited Plumier, Traite foug. Amer., t. 135, which illustrates a plant from Martinique that is probably not this species.

    Syn. Acrostichum flaccidum Fee, Mem. foug. 2: 35, t. 7, fig. 2. 1845. (Type from Guadeloupe, not seen.)

    Elaphoglossum flaccidum (Fee) Moore, Index fil. 356. 1862.

  • Distribution

    General Distribution. Greater Antilles except Jamaica, Lesser Antilles (Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique), Trinidad, and northern South America.

    West Indies| Brazil South America| French Guiana South America| Suriname South America| Guyana South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America|