acacia fringedfern
Lomariopsis sorbifolia (L.) Fée
This fern climbs tree trunks rather than forming a self-supporting trunk of its own. Its creeping, climbing rhizome is angular, with ridges formed by the downward-running leaf bases. Near the growing tip, narrow yellow-brown scales overlap one another; their edges carry fine fringe-like hairs. K. U. Kramer, Pteridophyta, Flora of the Netherlands Antilles (1962)
Botanical name
Kew accepts Lomariopsis sorbifolia (L.) Fée; Acrostichum sorbifolium L. is its basionym. The account follows the Caribbean species. Kew POWO: Lomariopsis sorbifolia
Recognizing the plant
Kramer’s Caribbean flora describes frond blades about twenty to fifty centimetres long, divided once into roughly ten to twenty leaflets on either side and a terminal leaflet. The ordinary sterile leaflets are lance-shaped, tapering to pointed tips, and their edges range from wavy to distinctly toothed. The central frond axis has narrow wings, broader in young plants. Fertile fronds differ markedly: their leaflets are contracted to about three millimetres across, with the undersides covered by spore-producing structures. K. U. Kramer, Pteridophyta, Flora of the Netherlands Antilles (1962)
Native range
Kew records its native range in Puerto Rico and the Leeward and Windward Islands. The regional flora documents trunk-climbing plants at middle elevations, including collections from the volcanic island of St Eustatius. Kew POWO: Lomariopsis sorbifoliaK. U. Kramer, Pteridophyta, Flora of the Netherlands Antilles (1962)
Botanical sources
- Kew POWO: Lomariopsis sorbifolia
- K. U. Kramer, Pteridophyta, Flora of the Netherlands Antilles (1962)
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.