English: Leather fern; Leatherleaf fern; Leathery shieldfern; False holly fern; Iron fern; 7-weeks-fern; Climbing shield fern.
Synonym: Arachniodes adiantiformis.
Clades: Dryopteridaceae.
Genus: 10 species.
Region: Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, Florida U.S.A; worldwide; South America, Caribbean, southern Africa, Western Indian Ocean islands, Papua New Guinea, Australasia; Brazil, Colombia, Galápagos Islands, Greater Antilles, Zimbabwe, South Africa,Australia, New Zealand.
Habitat: tropical and tropical; prefers cool shade, swampy areas, around caves and waterfalls; podocarp, broadleaf forests; tropical, intolerant of frost.
Use: ornamental, for groundcover; in floristry, flower arrangements in Brasil.

BotanyFern; 90 cm tall and broad; bushy, tufted; evergreen.
Leaves: strong; leathery, glossy; dark green; with prominent scales on the stipes.
Sori: round; on the underside of the pinnae; with protective peltate indusia.