| Alsophila walkerae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Cyatheaceae |
| Genus: | Alsophila |
| Species: | A. walkerae |
| Binomial name | |
| Alsophila walkerae | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Alsophila walkerae, synonym Cyathea walkerae, is a species of tree fern endemic to Sri Lanka, [1] where it grows in wetland forests.[ citation needed ]
Alsophila tricolor, synonym Cyathea dealbata, commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga, is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand. The fern is usually recognisable by the silver-white colour of the under-surface of mature fronds. It is a symbol commonly associated with the country both overseas and by New Zealanders themselves.
The Cyatheaceae are a family of ferns, the scaly tree ferns, one of eight families in the order Cyatheales in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016. Alternatively, the family may defined much more broadly as the only family in the Cyatheales, with the PPG I family treated as the subfamily Cyatheoideae. The narrower circumscription is used in this article.
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.
Alsophila balanocarpa, synonym Cyathea balanocarpa, is a species of tree fern native to Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. Despite its wide distribution, little is known about this species. It is apparently of hybrid origin.
Alsophila brooksii, synonym Cyathea brooksii, is a species of tree fern native to Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, where it grows on serpentine soils in shaded ravines, along streams, and on forested slopes at an altitude of 250–950 m. The trunk is prostrate and only about 6 cm in diameter. Fronds are pinnate or bipinnate and up to 2 m long. The base of the rachis is covered with blackish scales that have a paler margin. Sori occur in two rows, one along each side of the pinnule midvein.
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 jimeneziana, synonym Cyathea crassa, is a species of tree fern endemic to the Dominican Republic. Little is known about this rare tree fern.
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 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 in shaded areas and cloud forests 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 fulgens, synonym Cyathea fulgens, is a species of tree fern endemic to the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. It forms part of the complex centered on Alsophila woodwardioides comprising six very similar taxa from the Greater Antilles. The other five species are Alsophila jimeneziana, Alsophila grevilleana, Alsophila portoricensis and Alsophila tussacii. Large and Braggins (2004) note that this group is known to cross with members of the Alsophila minor complex. In the wild, A. fulgens also forms hybrids with Alsophila brooksii.
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 × 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 javanica, synonym Cyathea javanica, is a species of tree fern native to western Java and Sumatra, in Indonesia. It grows in rain forest and on riverbanks at an altitude of 250–1500 m.
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 × fagildei is a tree fern endemic to the Sierra de Moa and Sierra del Purial in Guantánamo Province, Cuba. It is a natural interspecific hybrid between Alsophila minor and Alsophila woodwardioides. The spores of A. × fagildei are normal in appearance; Caluff and Serrano (2002) suggest that it might therefore be fertile.
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.
Alsophila macgregorii, synonym Cyathea macgregorii, is a species of tree fern in the family Cyatheaceae. Its trunk is approximately 3 meters tall and about 24 centimeters thick. It has narrow and tripinnate fronds which are about 1 meter long, occurring in clusters of approximately 60, and form a round crown. The stipe is scaly and warty, scales being either smooth and shiny brown or small and pale. The sori are in groups of four to six in pinnule lobes. They are covered in brown indusia. It bears similarity to Alsophila imbricata and even greater similarity to Alsophila gleichenioides. It is possible that these variations are only due to differences in habitat and they may be same species.
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