Epiphytic or less often epilithic fern. Rhizome short-creeping, 5-8 mm thick, enveloped in a mass of brown-tomentose rootlets, toward apex bearing appressed-imbricate, gray-brown, clathrate, ovate-oblong or broadly ovate scales, these 2-6 mm long, mostly acute to acuminate at apex. Fronds densely clustered; stipe nearly lacking or to 5 cm long, stout and subquadrangular, with green margins passing gradually upward into the long-decurrent blade. Blades simple, ligulate, narrowly oblong-linear, or lance-linear, chartaceous, 30-120 x 4-8 cm, the apex sharply acute or rarely obtuse, the base gradually attenuate, the margins entire, plane and narrowly cartilaginous; primary veins oblique, prominent on lower surface, connected by arching cross-veins forming areoles with usually 3 included free veinlets, the middle one usually prolonged and joined to the next higher cross-vein, thus forming 2 secondary areoles; the tissue light green. Sori 2-seriate between the primary veins, located on free areolar veinlets below the tips.
Rhizome short-creeping, 5-8 mm thick, enveloped in a mass of brovm-tomentose rootlets, toward apex bearing appressed-imbricate, gray-brown, clathrate, ovate-oblong or broadly ovate scales 2-6 mm long, these mostly acute to acuminate at apex. Fronds densely clustered, nearly sessile or with a short, stout, subquadrangular stipe, the green margins passing gradually upward into the long-decunent blade. Blades ligulate, narrowly oblong-linear, or lance-linear, mostly 30-120 cm long, 4-8 cm broad near the middle, sharply acute or rarely obtuse at apex, the margins entire and narrowly cartilaginous; primary veins oblique, prominent abaxially, connected by arching cross-veins forming areoles mostly with two or three included free veinlets, one of these often prolonged and joined to the next higher cross-vein, thus forming secondary areoles. Sori 2-seriate between the primary veins, located on free areolar veinlets below the tips.
Occasional epiphyte in moist forests. Coral Bay (A2113), Susannaberg (A694). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Tortola; Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Cayman Islands, Lesser Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, and continental tropical America from Mexico to Uruguay.
General Distribution. Florida, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles, Tobago, Trinidad, and continental tropical America from Mexico to Uruguay. Distribution in Puerto Rico. Of very wide occunence; recorded from Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Arecibo, Barranquitas, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Comerio, Isabela, Juana Diaz, Lares, Loiza, Manati, Maricao, Quebradillas, Vega Alta, and Yabucoa; also Vieques. Virgin Islands. St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. Habitat. On trees, rocky banks, boulders, and shaded cliflfs at low to rather high elevations (sea-level- 950 m), common.
| Name | Language | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strap Fern | English | BS |
|
