Hemionitis acrostichoides Afzel. ex Sw.
Polybotrya acrostichoides (Afzel. ex Sw.) Mett. ex Kuhn
Leptochilus acrostichoides (Afzel. ex Sw.) C.Chr.
Campium acrostichoides (Afzel. ex Sw.) Copel.
Leptochilus diversibasis Bonap.
Acrostichum afzelii Carruth.

Rhizome short-creeping, to 10 mm diameter; rhizome scales dense, opaque to subclathrate, lanceolate in outline, 6–8 x 1–1.5 mm. Fronds ± 30–110 cm long. Stipe 1/4–1/2 the frond length, straw coloured to brown, scaly especially proximally with small appressed orange-tan reduced scales distally on rhachis and costa. Sterile fronds 20–80 x 10–35 cm, terminal segment 7–45 x 2.2–2.4 cm, longer than lateral pinnae, with subterminal buds, these occasionally missing; lateral pinnae (3–)9–13 pairs, 12–20 x 2–3.2 cm, lower pinnae short-stalked, stalk 1–10 mm long, lamina narrowly oblong-acuminate in outline, base symmetrically broadly wedge-shaped or rounded, apex tapering to a point; margin entire to finely serrate to ± crenate, rarely strongly toothed; lower surface with scattered minute l-celled hairs. Fertile fronds often slightly exceeding the sterile in length, 50–150 cm long; stipe ± 3/4 the frond length; pinnae 3–13 pairs, much smaller than the sterile, (3–)8–13 cm x (0.4–)0.8–1 cm, lowest pinnae stalked, stalk 1–20 mm long; subterminal bud rarely present on terminal pinnae; veins netted, without included free veinlets, impressed adaxially. Sori gymnogrammoid, rarely acrostichoid.

Bolbitis acrostichoides is distinct by the prolonged terminal pinna bearing a subapical bud.

Moist forest and swamp forest.

See African distribution.

Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Dem. Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea (incl. Bioko), Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan and South Sudan, Tanzania , Togo, Uganda.

Terrestrial.