Cyathea baileyana
Encyclopedia
Cyathea baileyana, also known as the wig tree fern, is a species of tree fern
native to northeastern Queensland
in Australia
, where it grows in wet gullies
and forest at an altitude of 850-1200 m. It is a rare species that is seldom found in the wild. The erect trunk is 4-5 m tall, approximately 10 cm in diameter and may be covered in stipe
bases in the upper regions. C. baileyana is notable for being able to develop offshoots
from the base of the trunk. Frond
s are bi- or tripinnate and may be exceptionally long, up to 7 m, though they are usually around 2-3 m. The rachis
and stipe are dark to darkish red, scaly
and may be warty, but lack spines. Scales on the rachis and stipe are purplish brown to black and have a long hair-like apex. Characteristically of this species, the last pair of pinnae are separated from the others along the rachis and may form a clump (the "wig") around the trunk apex. Sori
are circular and occur in one to three rows along the pinnule midvein. They lack indusia.
The specific epithet
baileyana commemorates Australian botanist Frederick Manson Bailey
(1827-1915). The common name "wig tree fern" refers to the pinnae that cluster around the crown of this species, forming a structure that resembles a wig. This "wig" is green in younger plants, but may become brownish in older specimens.
C. baileyana is a relatively slow-growing species. In cultivation, it should be able to withstand several degrees of frost. It is reportedly difficult to propagate
.
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...
native to northeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where it grows in wet gullies
Gully
A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width...
and forest at an altitude of 850-1200 m. It is a rare species that is seldom found in the wild. The erect trunk is 4-5 m tall, approximately 10 cm in diameter and may be covered in stipe
Stipe (botany)
In botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....
bases in the upper regions. C. baileyana is notable for being able to develop offshoots
Offshoot (plant)
Offshoots are lateral shoots that are produced on the main stem of a plant. They may be known colloquially as "suckers". Also see basal shoot....
from the base of the trunk. Frond
Frond
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s are bi- or tripinnate and may be exceptionally long, up to 7 m, though they are usually around 2-3 m. The rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
and stipe are dark to darkish red, scaly
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
and may be warty, but lack spines. Scales on the rachis and stipe are purplish brown to black and have a long hair-like apex. Characteristically of this species, the last pair of pinnae are separated from the others along the rachis and may form a clump (the "wig") around the trunk apex. 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....
are circular and occur in one to three rows along the pinnule midvein. They lack indusia.
The specific epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
baileyana commemorates Australian botanist Frederick Manson Bailey
Frederick Manson Bailey
Frederick Manson Bailey CMG was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland.-Early life:...
(1827-1915). The common name "wig tree fern" refers to the pinnae that cluster around the crown of this species, forming a structure that resembles a wig. This "wig" is green in younger plants, but may become brownish in older specimens.
C. baileyana is a relatively slow-growing species. In cultivation, it should be able to withstand several degrees of frost. It is reportedly difficult to propagate
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
.