Cyathea delgadii
Encyclopedia
Cyathea delgadii is a widespread species of tree fern
native to Costa Rica
, Panama
, Venezuela
, French Guiana
, Guyana
, Trinidad
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Peru
, Bolivia
, Argentina
, Paraguay
, and Brazil
.
The specific epithet
delgadii refers to Gancho do Generale Delgado, along the road to Caldas Novas
, Brazil, where the type
material was collected.
, in open locations, and along paths, at an elevation of 100 metres (328.1 ft) and above (up to 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) in Peru). It forms part of a large complex centered on Cyathea fulva.
In Costa Rica, C. delgadii is present in the Cordillera de Guanacaste
, Cordillera de Tilarán, north slope of the Cordillera Central
, the Norte region, Caribbean
side of the Cordillera de Talamanca
, Fila Costeña, and the Osa Peninsula
, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 500-1500 m (Alexander Rojas A., 1999).
Since it is abundant where it does grow and has such a large natural range, the conservation status
of C. delgadii can be equated with the IUCN
category "Lower risk" (Alexander Rojas A., 1999).
s are bipinnate and 1.5–3 m (4.9–9.8 ft) in length. The crown is large and slightly arching.
Petiole
s are yellow-brown to dark brown in colouration and bear spines. Small brown scale
s cover the rachis
, which is also brown. Sori
are borne on each side of the pinnule midvein and are protected by globose indusia.
. This species does best when sheltered from the wind and grown in a warm area.
The roots of this species are used for the culture of orchids and the manufacture of crafts. C. delgadii may grow on disturbed land and, since it is often harvested from these areas, its use does not have as great an impact on the forest as it would otherwise.
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 Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
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...
delgadii refers to Gancho do Generale Delgado, along the road to Caldas Novas
Caldas Novas
Caldas Novas is a Brazilian city and municipality in the state of Goiás. It is considered by many to be the largest hydro-thermal resort in the world.-Location:...
, Brazil, where the type
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
material was collected.
Distribution
Cyathea delgadii grows in tropical and submontane rain forest, forest understoryUnderstory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
, in open locations, and along paths, at an elevation of 100 metres (328.1 ft) and above (up to 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) in Peru). It forms part of a large complex centered on Cyathea fulva.
In Costa Rica, C. delgadii is present in the Cordillera de Guanacaste
Cordillera de Guanacaste
The Cordillera de Guanacaste, also called Guanacaste Cordillera, are a volcanic mountain range in northern Costa Rica near the border with Nicaragua. The mountain range stretches 110 km from northwest to the southeast and contains mostly complex stratovolcanoes...
, Cordillera de Tilarán, north slope of the Cordillera Central
Cordillera Central, Costa Rica
The Cordillera Central is a volcanic mountain range in central Costa Rica which continues the Continental Divide east of Cordillera de Tilarán. It extends 80 km from Tapezco Pass to the Turrialba Volcano and ending on the Pacuare River...
, the Norte region, Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
side of the Cordillera de Talamanca
Cordillera de Talamanca
The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies on the border between Costa Rica and Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in the La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two countries....
, Fila Costeña, and the Osa Peninsula
Osa Peninsula
The Osa Peninsula is a peninsula located in southwestern Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific Ocean, at . The peninsula was formed geologically by a faulting system that extends north into California....
, where it has an altitudinal distribution of 500-1500 m (Alexander Rojas A., 1999).
Since it is abundant where it does grow and has such a large natural range, the conservation status
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
of C. delgadii can be equated with the IUCN
World Conservation Union
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources is an international organization dedicated to finding "pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges." The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of...
category "Lower risk" (Alexander Rojas A., 1999).
Description
The trunk of Cyathea delgadii is erect, 1.5–10 m (4.9–32.8 ft) tall and 5-15 cm in diameter. FrondFrond
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 bipinnate and 1.5–3 m (4.9–9.8 ft) in length. The crown is large and slightly arching.
Petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
s are yellow-brown to dark brown in colouration and bear spines. Small brown scale
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...
s cover 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...
, which is also brown. 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 borne on each side of the pinnule midvein and are protected by globose indusia.
Cultivation
Cyathea delgadii is cultivated as an ornamental tree for gardens. To do well in cultivation, plants should be provided with consistent moisture and well-drained humus as a substrateSubstrate (biology)
In biology a substrate is the surface a plant or animal lives upon and grows on. A substrate can include biotic or abiotic materials and animals. For example, encrusting algae that lives on a rock can be substrate for another animal that lives on top of the algae. See also substrate .-External...
. This species does best when sheltered from the wind and grown in a warm area.
The roots of this species are used for the culture of orchids and the manufacture of crafts. C. delgadii may grow on disturbed land and, since it is often harvested from these areas, its use does not have as great an impact on the forest as it would otherwise.