Angiopteris evecta is a very large fern found in parts of Southeast Asia and the western Pacific. It is naturalised in Hawaii, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cuba. Common names in English include King fern, Giant fern, Elephant fern, Oriental Vessel fern, Madagascar tree fern, and Mule's Foot fern. Angiopteris evecta is a self-supporting evergreen perennial fern with very large bipinnate fronds. The massive trunk-like rhizome grows vertically up to 1.2 m high by 1 m wide. The arching, glossy green fronds, which emanate from the top of the trunk, may reach up to 2.5 m wide and 9 m long, with the fleshy green petiole (leaf stem) making up 2 m of that length. They are said to be the longest fern fronds in the world. Angiopteris evecta is native to southeast Asia, from Singapore through Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia to Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It has been introduced to most of the rest of tropical Asia, as well as Madagascar and parts of the tropical Americas. 22409
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