Landscape Uses:
	Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Identified by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden as a native that does especially well in shade in this brochure.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
	Medium to large herbaceous fern.
Height:
	About 3-4 feet feet tall. Fronds spreading and becoming as broad as tall.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate.
Range:
	Miami-Dade, Broward and Collier counties; disjunct in central Florida in Manatee and Polk counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. In Miami-Dade County, known only from hammocks south of the Miami River. In Broward County, know only from Fern Forest Nature Center.
Habitats:
	Humid forests.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained limestone soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
Salt Water Tolerance:
	Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
	Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
	Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
	Light shade to moderate shade.
Flower Color:
	N/A.
Flower Characteristics:
	There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores.
Flowering Season:
	All year.
Fruit:
	Inconspicuous spores.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from spores.
Comments:
	It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida. For a comparison of the vascular bundles between the invasive Mariana maiden fern and the native, endangered Florida tree fern from Connect to Protect Network, click here.