Cyathea
Encyclopedia
Cyathea is a genus
of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern
order Cyatheales
. They are mostly terrestrial ferns, usually with a single tall stem. Rarely, the trunk may be branched or creeping. Many species also develop a fibrous mass of roots at the base of the trunk. The genus has a pantropical
distribution, with over 470 species. They grow in habitats ranging from tropical rain forests to temperate woodlands.
The genus name Cyathea is derived from the Greek
kyatheion, meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori
on the underside of the fronds.
The best known species include:
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
order Cyatheales
Cyatheales
The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. No clear morphological features characterize all of the Cyatheales, but DNA sequence data indicates that the order is monophyletic. Some species in the Cyatheales have tree-like growth...
. They are mostly terrestrial ferns, usually with a single tall stem. Rarely, the trunk may be branched or creeping. Many species also develop a fibrous mass of roots at the base of the trunk. The genus has a pantropical
Pantropical
In biogeography, a pantropical distribution one which covers tropical regions of all of the major continents, i.e. in Africa, in Asia and in the Americas. Examples include the plant genera Acacia and Bacopa....
distribution, with over 470 species. They grow in habitats ranging from tropical rain forests to temperate woodlands.
The genus name Cyathea is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
kyatheion, meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori
Sorus
A sorus is a cluster of sporangia .In fungi and lichens, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae it may take the form of a depression into the thallus....
on the underside of the fronds.
The best known species include:
- Cyathea browniiCyathea browniiCyathea brownii, commonly known as the Norfolk tree fern or smooth tree fern, is probably the largest tree fern species in the world. An endemic of Norfolk Island, in the wild it is reported to reach 20 m or more in height. The broad, lance shaped, bipinnate-pinnatifid to tripinnate fronds can...
, the Norfolk Tree Fern - Cyathea cooperiCyathea cooperiCyathea cooperi, also known as the Australian tree fern, lacy tree fern, scaly tree fern, or Cooper’s tree fern, is a medium-to-large, fast growing tree fern native to Australia. This fern grows to in height with a thick trunk...
, the Australian Tree Fern or Lacy Tree Fern - Cyathea dealbataCyathea dealbataCyathea dealbata, or the silver tree fern or silver fern , is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand...
, the Silver Tree Fern - Cyathea medullarisCyathea medullarisCyathea medullaris, popularly known as the black tree fern, is a large tree fern up to 20 m tall. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is called mamaku, katātā, kōrau, or pītau in the Māori language.-Distribution:...
, the New Zealand Black Tree Fern
Classification
The classification below follows the findings of Conant et al. in 1996 . Conant concluded, based on molecular cpDNA and morphological evidence, that a system of three clades — Alsophila, Cyathea and Sphaeropteris, whereby Alsophila is most basal and Cyathea and Sphaeropteris are derived sister groups — is the most accurate reflection of evolutionary lineages within the CyatheaceaeCyatheaceae
The Cyatheaceae is the scaly tree fern family and includes the world's tallest tree ferns, which reach heights up to 20 m. They are also very ancient plants, appearing in the fossil record in the late Jurassic, though the modern genera likely appeared in the Tertiary. Cyatheaceae is the largest...
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Cyathea subg. Cyathea Cyathea is a subgenus in the genus Cyathea.-Classification:*Subgenus Cyathea**Section Alsophila***Cyathea abbottii***Cyathea acanthophora***Cyathea acrostichoides***Cyathea acuminata***Cyathea affinis...
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Cyathea sect. Sphaeropteris Sphaeropteris is a section in the monotypic subgenus Sphaeropteris. The name was originally applied to a genus of tree ferns which is now considered to be synonymous with Cyathea.-Classification:*Subgenus Sphaeropteris...
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Uncertain or dubious taxa
- Alsophila crassa Karsten, 1869
- Cyathea affinisCyathea affinisCyathea affinis is a variable species of tree fern native to Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Austral Islands, Tahiti, and the Marquesas Islands. The trunk of this plant is erect and 2-6 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and 2-3 m in length. The rachis and stipe are pale to brown in colour, or flushed...
M. Martens & Galeotti, 1842
Misassigned taxa
- Cyathea abitaguensis (Domin) Domin, 1930 = Cnemidaria uleana
- Cyathea antillana Domin, 1930 = Cnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifolia is a species of tree fern whose natural distribution ranges from Trinidad and Tobago to the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. It grows at the edge of forests, on stream banks, and on mountainsides at an altitude of 300-1100 m....
- Cyathea aristata Domin, 1930 = Cnemidaria apiculata
- Cyathea choricarpa (Maxon) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria choricarpa
- Cyathea commutata Sprengel, 1804 = Cnemidaria horrida
- Cyathea decurrentiloba Domin, 1930 = Cnemidaria decurrens
- Cyathea elegantissima (Fée) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria decurrens
- Cyathea ewanii Alston, 1958 = Cnemidaria ewanii
- Cyathea grandifolia Willdenow, 1810 = Cnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifolia is a species of tree fern whose natural distribution ranges from Trinidad and Tobago to the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. It grows at the edge of forests, on stream banks, and on mountainsides at an altitude of 300-1100 m....
- Cyathea grandis (Maxon) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria mutica
- Cyathea guatemalensis (Maxon) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria decurrens
- Cyathea horrida (Linnaeus) J. E. Smith, 1793 = Cnemidaria horrida
- Cyathea imrayana (W. J. Hooker) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifolia is a species of tree fern whose natural distribution ranges from Trinidad and Tobago to the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. It grows at the edge of forests, on stream banks, and on mountainsides at an altitude of 300-1100 m....
- Cyathea karsteniana Klotzsch, 1852 = Cnemidaria karsteniana
- Cyathea kohautiana (Presl) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifolia is a species of tree fern whose natural distribution ranges from Trinidad and Tobago to the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. It grows at the edge of forests, on stream banks, and on mountainsides at an altitude of 300-1100 m....
- Cyathea leprieurii (Kunze) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria cruciata
- Cyathea liebmannii Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria decurrens
- Cyathea lucida (Fée) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria decurrens
- Cyathea minita Kaulfuss, 1824 = Cnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifolia is a species of tree fern whose natural distribution ranges from Trinidad and Tobago to the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. It grows at the edge of forests, on stream banks, and on mountainsides at an altitude of 300-1100 m....
- Cyathea mutica (Christ) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria mutica
- Cyathea obtusa (Kaulfuss) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifoliaCnemidaria grandifolia is a species of tree fern whose natural distribution ranges from Trinidad and Tobago to the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela. It grows at the edge of forests, on stream banks, and on mountainsides at an altitude of 300-1100 m....
- Cyathea roraimensis (Domin) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria roraimensis
- Cyathea spectabilis (Kunze) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria spectabilis
- Cyathea spectabilis var. colombiensis Stolze, 1974 = Cnemidaria spectabilis var. colombiensis
- Cyathea spectabilis var. longipinna (Domin) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria spectabilis var. spectabilis
- Cyathea spectabilis var. trinitensis (Domin) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria spectabilis var. spectabilis
- Cyathea subarborescens Domin, 1930 = Cnemidaria uleana
- Cyathea subincisa (Kunze) Domin, 1929 = Cnemidaria speciosa