Alsophila archboldii, synonym Cyathea archboldii, is a species of tree fern native to New Guinea and Bougainville, where it is common in submontane rain forest at an altitude of 1000–3000 m. The trunk is erect and up to about 3 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and 2–3 m long. The rachis may be purplish and has short spines and scales. The scales range in colour from pale to brown, to bicoloured and have fragile edges. Sori occur in two rows along each side of the pinnule midvein and are covered by firm indusia.
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.
Alsophila camerooniana, synonym Cyathea camerooniana, is a species of tree fern native to Sierra Leone, Cameroon, northern Angola and western Uganda, where it grows in montane forest at an altitude of 900–1200 m. The trunk is erect and 2–3 m tall. Fronds are pinnate and 2–3 m long. The rachis ranges in colour from dark to pale and has some hairs on the underside. The stipe is dark and is covered with scales throughout. Where scales have fallen, small warts are present. The scales are glossy brown and have a thin, dull edge. Sori occur at the forks of veins and are covered by thin indusia, which range in shape from cup- to saucer-like.
Alsophila capensis, synonym Cyathea capensis, is a regionally widespread and highly variable species of tree fern. It is indigenous to Southern Africa and South America.
Alsophila caudata, synonym Cyathea caudata, is a species of tree fern native to the islands of Luzon and Mindanao in the Philippines, where it grows in montane forest. The trunk is erect and up to 4 m tall or more. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and 1–2 m long. The stipe is warty and covered with dark, narrow, glossy scales. Sori are borne near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are protected by firm, brown indusia. As of April 2022, Plants of the World Online treated it as a synonym of Alsophila speciosa.
Alsophila costularis, synonyms Cyathea chinensis and Sphaeropteris chinensis, is a species of tree fern native to Yunnan in China, Sikkim in India, as well as Nepal, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Plants grow in forest and montane forest at an altitude of 900–1800 m. The trunk is erect and 1–2 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and 1–2 m long. The stipe is either long and warty or has short spines towards the base as well as scattered glossy dark brown scales with fragile edges. Sori occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are covered by thin indusia.
Alsophila deckenii, synonym Cyathea deckenii, is a species of tree fern native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique, where it grows in wet forest at an altitude of 1350–2300 m. The trunk is erect and up to 10 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and 2–3 m long. Characteristically of this species, the most basal one or two pairs of pinnae are reduced. The rachis and stipe range in colour from brown to dark brown or black-brown and are sparsely covered with a few scales. The scales are dark and narrow with a fragile margin of variable width. The stipe also has conical warts near the base. Sori are round and covered by large, thin indusia.
Alsophila dregei, synonym Cyathea dregei, is a widespread species of tree fern in southern Africa.
Alsophila dryopteroides, synonym Cyathea dryopteroides, is a tree fern native to Puerto Rico, where it grows where it grows in shaded areas and cloud forest at an altitude of 1000–1200 m. The erect trunk may be 1.3 m tall and approximately 5 cm in diameter. Fronds are pinnate and up to 1.6 m long. The rachis is often purplish brown and covered with scales, usually on the underside. The scales range in colour from golden brown to bicoloured. Sori occur along each side of the pinnule midvein and indusia are cup-like.
Alsophila fenicis, synonym Cyathea fenicis, is a species of tree fern native to the Philippines, Taiwan, and Orchid Island, where it grows in wet forest, forest margins and on hillsides. The trunk is erect, up to 1 m tall and about 6 cm in diameter. Fronds are tripinnate and 1.5–2 m long. Characteristically of this species, the lowest pinnae are usually reduced. The stipe is spiny and ranges in colour from brown to purple-dark brown. It bears two types of scales: long dark brown scales as well as minute brown ones. Occasionally the scales are pale. Sori are round and arranged in two rows, one on either side of the pinnule midvein. They are covered by very small indusia that resemble scales in appearance.
Alsophila gregaria, synonym Cyathea gregaria, is a species of tree fern endemic to eastern New Guinea, where it grows in lowland forest and coastal rain forest, often forming clumps, at an elevation of up to 100 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and usually 4–5 m tall and about 10 cm in diameter. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and 2–3 m in length. The stipe bears spines, but has few scales. These scales are medium brown in colouration and have a paler margin. Sori occur near the fertile pinnule midvein and lack 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 acaulis, synonyms Alsophila denticulata and Cyathea hancockii, is a species of tree fern native to the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The specific epithet hancockii commemorates William Hancock (1847-1914), who collected numerous plants in Japan, China and Southeast Asia. It grows in forest, on stream banks, and in forest margins at an elevation of about 600 m or higher. As of August 2021, Plants of the World Online treated this species under the name Alsophila denticulata.
Alsophila heterochlamydea, synonym Cyathea heterochlamydea, is a little-known species of tree fern native to the islands of Luzon, Panay, Negros and Mindanao in the Philippines, where it grows in montane forest. The trunk of this plant is erect and usually up to 4 m tall or more. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and 1–2 m in length. The stipe is warty and/or bears short spines and scales. These scales are dark, glossy and have a narrow pale margin. Sori are borne near the fertile pinnule midvein and are protected by firm, brown indusia.
Alsophila hooglandii, synonym Cyathea hooglandii, is a species of tree fern native to the Western Highlands of New Guinea, where it grows in mossy forest at an altitude of about 3000 m. The trunk of this plant is erect, up to 3 m tall and approximately 10 cm in diameter. Fronds are tripinnate, 1–2 m in length and produced in two whorls of five to seven each. The stipe may be dull and warty or densely covered with scales. These scales range in colour from dark to medium brown and have a broad, paler margin as well as fragile edges. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this species are its sori, which are borne singly at the base of each tertiary pinnule on the midvein. They are protected by firm indusia that are saucer-like in appearance.
Alsophila × marcescens, synonym Cyathea × marcescens, commonly known as the skirted tree fern, is a tree fern endemic to the Cape Otway ranges in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. It is a natural hybrid, apparently Alsophila australis × Alsophila cunninghamii. Large and Braggins (2004) note that it has characteristics midway between these two species. The spores of A. × marcescens are usually malformed although sterile. The trunk of this plant is erect and up to 10 m tall. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and 3–4 m in length. Dead fronds often persist, forming a characteristic skirt around the trunk. The stipe is thick, black and warty. The rachis and trunk are covered in shiny, dark brown scales. Sori are borne near the fertile pinnule midvein and are protected by thin indusia that are saucer-like in appearance.
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 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. It 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 crassicaula, synonym Cyathea ledermannii, is a species of tree fern native to Papua New Guinea and Bougainville Province in the Solomon Islands, where it is common in submontane rain forest at an altitude of 1000–3000 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and grows to about 3 m in height. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and up to 2 m in length. The rachis is purplish brown in colouration and usually bears basal scales. These scales range from pale, to brown, to bicoloured. Sori are borne on each side of the pinnule midvein. They are protected by firm indusia.
