Ray Fern

Actinostachys pennula (Sw.) Hook. Gen. Fil. pL 111, A, 1842
Schizaea Pennula Sw. Syn. Fil. 150, 379. 1806. Schizaea tri la lera lis Schk.vihr, Krypt. Gew. 1 : 137. 1809. Acroslichum Pennula Poir. in Ivam. Encyc. Suppl. 1 : 125. 1810. Aciinoslachys trilateralis 1 . Smith, I^ond. Jour. Bot. 1 : 202. 1842.
Fronds numerous, closely fasciculate from a small ascending rhizome, stout, 25-50 cm.
long, strongly triquetrous toward the dark castaneous base and usually buried a distance of 2-10 cm. in the substratum, above green and gradually flattish, lightly canaliculate upon
the upper surface, about 2 mm. broad, strongly and often sharply costate below, thus
unequally triquetrous nearly throughout, lustrous, glabrous ; fertile segments 6-14, penicil-
late, 2-4.7 cm. long, 1 mm. or more broad, acuminate, at first erect and close, eventually
subfalcate and divergent, unequal, the uppermost and lower ones shorter than the middle
ones and sometimes dichotomous ; sporangia very numerous, spuriously biseriate upon each
side of the conspicuously rusty-pilose costa ; spores closely and delicately maculate.
Type locality : Tropical America.
Distribution : Costa Rica ; Guadeloupe ; also Trinidad to Uruguay.