Sphaeropteris cooperi, synonym Cyathea cooperi, also known as lacy tree fern, scaly tree fern, or Cooper's tree fern, is a tree fern native to Australia, in New South Wales and Queensland.
Alsophila alpina, synonym Cyathea alpicola, is a species of tree fern native to central Sumatra, where it grows in montane rain forest at an altitude of 2000–2750 m. The erect trunk can reach 5 m or more in height. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and usually 2–3 m long. They have a tendency to persist on the plant after withering, forming an irregular skirt around the trunk. This species has a spiny stipe, which is covered with a woolly layer of scales. There appear to be two forms with different scales; either dark glossy brown with a broad paler margin and fragile edges, or small, brown and finely fringed. Sori are covered by thin, fragile indusia and occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules. The closest relative of A. alpicola is thought to be Alsophila polycarpa, which differs by lacking spines altogether. Alsophila macropoda and Alsophila magnifolia may also be closely allied with this species.
Alsophila australis, synonym Cyathea australis, also known as the rough tree fern, is a species of tree fern native to southeastern Queensland, New South Wales and southern Victoria in Australia, as well as Tasmania and Norfolk Island.
Gymnosphaera biformis, synonyms Alsophila biformis and Cyathea biformis, is a species of tree fern native to New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it grows against trees in mossy forest and rain forest at elevations of 850–2200 m. The climbing trunk is very thin, only 1–2 cm in diameter, but can reach 3 m in height. The apex of the trunk is covered in scales. Two types of fronds are produced, simple pinnate fronds, which are sterile, and bipinnate fronds, which may be fertile. The stipe is smooth, glossy and very dark, almost to the point of being black. It is covered at the base with long, very dark scales that have a pale margin. Fertile pinnules are distinctly stalked and lobed. Sori occur in four pairs per pinnule lobe and lack indusia.
Alsophila catillifera, synonym Cyathea catillifera, is a species of tree fern native to eastern New Guinea, where it grows in montane scrub at an altitude of about 2800 m and above. It is a rare plant, known only from the type locality. The erect trunk is up to about 1 m tall and 10 cm in diameter. Characteristically of this species, the trunk often branches at the base. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate, 1–2 m long and may bear a pair of reduced pinnae towards the base. There are usually around six live fronds per crown at any one time. The stipe is spiny, warty and pale on the upper surface to dark at the base. It is |covered with scattered basal scales that are glossy dark brown and have a paler margin. Stipes are persistent with bases retained on the trunk. Sori occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are covered by thin, brown indusia that are saucer-like in appearance.
Alsophila cunninghamii, synonym Cyathea cunninghamii, also known as the gully tree fern and slender tree fern, is a species of tree fern indigenous to New Zealand including North Island, South Island and Chatham Islands; also to Victoria, possibly New South Wales, southeastern Queensland and Tasmania in Australia. It grows in damp forest, often emerging from stream gullies and riverbanks. Brownsey noted that it has a lower tolerance for drought than other related species. The erect trunk may be 20 m tall and is usually 6–15 cm in diameter, occasionally as much as 20 cm. Fronds are tri- to tetrapinnate and 3 m or more in length. The rachis and stipe are slender, black brown, warty and covered with brown scales. Sori occur along each side of the pinnule midvein and are covered by hood-like indusia. A. cunninghamii is an uncommon and slow-growing tree fern.
Alsophila decrescens, synonym Cyathea decrescens, is a species of tree fern endemic to Madagascar.
Alsophila dregei, synonym Cyathea dregei, is a widespread species of tree fern in southern Africa.
Alsophila excavata, synonym Cyathea excavata, is a species of tree fern endemic to the Cameron Highlands in Peninsular Malaysia, where it grows in habitats ranging from forest, streamsides, clearings and open grassy areas at an altitude of approximately 1800 m. The trunk is erect and up to 2 m tall or more. It forms lateral shoots. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and about 2 m long. They are persistent and may be retained forming a characteristic skirt around the trunk. The stipe is smooth, green and covered with dull, thin basal scales. Sori occur near the fertile pinnule midvein and are covered by pale, thin indusia that are saucer-like in appearance.
Gymnosphaera schliebenii, synonyms Alsophila schliebenii and Cyathea fadenii, is a species of tree fern endemic to the Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania, where it grows on exposed ridges and on the upper edge of montane forest at an elevation of 1700–2100 m. The trunk is erect, up to 4 m tall and 3–5 cm in diameter. Fronds are bipinnate. Characteristically of this species, the most basal pair of pinnae are reduced, often to veins alone.
Gymnosphaera glabra, synonyms Alsophila glabra and Cyathea glabra, is a species of tree fern native to Borneo, western Java, Sumatra, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, and the Malay Peninsula, where it grows in lowland swamp forest and montane forest at an elevation of up to 1500 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and 2–4 m tall. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and 1–2 m in length. Characteristically of this species, the lowest pinnae may be significantly reduced. The stipe is very dark and bears basal scales. These scales are dark, glossy and have a paler margin and fragile edges. Sori are produced in groups of one to three on fertile pinnule veins. They lack indusia.
Alsophila gleichenioides, synonym Cyathea gleichenioides, is a species of tree fern endemic to New Guinea, where it grows in open peaty grassland and on forest margins, often in groups, at an altitude of 2800–3700 m. The trunk of this plant is erect, up to 3 m tall and about 24 cm in diameter. The narrow fronds are tripinnate and about 1 m in length. Around 60 fronds form a rounded crown. The stipe is warty and bears scattered scales towards the base. These scales may be either glossy brown with a paler dull margin, or small, pale and fringed. Sori occur one or two per fertile pinnule and are protected by firm, brown indusia.
Alsophila grevilleana, synonym Cyathea grevilleana, is a species of tree fern endemic to Jamaica, where it grows in moist gullies and on wooded hills in both calcareous and noncalcareous soils at an altitude of 200–1200 m. The trunk of this plant is erect, about 7 m tall, and 10–15 cm in diameter. It is characteristically clothed in old stipe bases, brown scales and blackish spines. Fronds are tripinnate, dark green in colour, and up to 4 m in length. The last pinnae are sometimes separated, forming a distinctive clump around the trunk apex. The rachis is yellow-brown and almost smooth. This species has a long, dark brown stipe with a few scattered spines. Sori are produced in four to six pairs along the pinnule midvein. They are protected by pale brown indusia that are cup-like in appearance.
Alsophila humilis, synonym Cyathea humilis, is a species of tree fern native to Kenya, as well as the Usambara and Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania, where it grows in wet forest at an altitude of 1100–2000 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and 2–3 m tall. Fronds are pinnate and 1–2 m in length. Dead fronds are often retained in the typical variety, forming an irregular skirt around the trunk. The rachis and stipe are light brown in colouration. Scales are present towards the base of the stipe. They are dark, glossy, and have narrow, fragile edges. Sori occur at the forks of veins and are protected by thin, reduced indusia.
Alsophila imbricata, synonym Cyathea imbricata, is a species of tree fern endemic to Western New Guinea, where it grows in open forest at an altitude of 3240 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and approximately 2 m tall. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and are usually less than 1 m in length. The stipe is dark, spiny, and covered with caducous scales. These scales are glossy brown in colouration and have a paler margin and fragile edges. Sori are borne in groups of one to four per pinnule lobe. They are protected by firm indusia.
Alsophila junghuhniana, synonym Cyathea junghuhniana, is a species of tree fern native to southern and central Sumatra and western Java, where it grows in forest at an altitude of 1000–2000 m. The trunk of this species is erect and may be 2 m tall or more. Fronds are tripinnate and up to about 3 m long. The stipes of this species are persistent and form a skirt around the trunk. They are brown, spiny, and covered with glossy, dark brown scales. Sori are borne near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are protected by thin indusia.
Alsophila kermadecensis, synonym Cyathea kermadecensis, is a species of tree fern endemic to Raoul Island in the Kermadec Islands, where it is locally common in damp, and sometimes drier, forest and scrub. The trunk of this plant is erect, slender and up to 20 m tall. It has a massive basal swelling, composed mostly of adventitious roots, which can be up to 13 feet high and 6.5 feet thick. The trunk is often covered with scars of old stipe-bases. Fronds are tripinnate and up to 4 m in length. The rachis and stipe are both brown in colouration and bear basal scales that are brown, glossy, and often twisted. Sori are borne on either side of the pinnule midvein. They are covered by hood-like indusia.
Alsophila latebrosa, synonym Cyathea latebrosa, is a common and widespread species of tree fern native to Indochina. Its natural range covers Cambodia and Thailand, and stretches from the Malay Peninsula to Indonesia, where it is present on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Plants reported from India and Sri Lanka have thinner indusia and may represent a separate, as-yet undescribed, species. A. latebrosa grows in a wide range of habitats, including forest, secondary forest, and plantations, from sea level up to an elevation of about 1500 m.
Alsophila is a genus of tree ferns in the family Cyatheaceae. It has also been considered to be a section in the subgenus Cyathea of the genus Cyathea.
Alsophila smithii, synonym Cyathea smithii, commonly known as the soft tree fern or kātote, is a species of tree fern from New Zealand.
