| Cyathea sect. Alsophila | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Cyatheaceae |
| Genus: | Cyathea |
| Subgenus: | Cyathea subg. Cyathea |
| Section: | Cyathea sect. Alsophila R. Brown, 1810 |
Alsophila is a section in the subgenus Cyathea . The name was originally applied to a genus of tree ferns which is now considered to be synonymous with Cyathea .
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
Cyathea is a subgenus in the genus Cyathea.
In the 1971 comedy film A New Leaf , Henrietta Lowell (played by Elaine May) is a botanist whose dream is to classify a new species of fern. On a honeymoon trip, she indeed discovers a new species which she names Alsophila grahami after her new husband Henry Graham (Walter Matthau). She describes the plant as having a vestigial indusium.
A New Leaf is a 1971 black comedy film based on the short story The Green Heart by Jack Ritchie, starring Elaine May, Walter Matthau, Jack Weston, George Rose, James Coco, and Doris Roberts. Better known for her collaboration as a stage comedian with The Graduate director Mike Nichols, May also wrote and directed. For this film May consulted Dr. Dominick Basile, a botany professor at Columbia University. Dr. Basile wrote botanically accurate lines into the script and supplied the botanical equipment seen in the film. May also modeled Henrietta's office after his.
Elaine Iva May is an American comedienne, screenwriter, director and actress. She made her initial impact in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols, performing as Nichols and May. After her duo with Nichols ended, May subsequently developed a career as a director and screenwriter.
Walter Matthau was an American actor and comedian, best known for his film roles, including as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, based on the play of the same title by playwright Neil Simon, in which he also appeared on broadway theatre, and notably, opposite Audrey Hepburn in Charade. He also appeared in the less successful Odd Couple film sequel some 30 years later, The Odd Couple II. Matthau was known for his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple co-star Jack Lemmon, particularly in the 1990s with Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1966 Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie. Besides the Oscar, he was the winner of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony awards.
Cyathea alderwereltii is a species of tree fern endemic to Mount Sago in central Sumatra, where it is nevertheless abundant and grows in forest at an altitude of 1000–1500 m. It has an erect trunch which may be 4 m tall or more. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and 1–2 m long. The stipe of this species is spiny at the base and covered with scattered scales that are dark brown, glossy, and have a narrow paler margin. Sori are produced near the fertile pinnule midvein and are covered by small, brown scale-like indusia.
Cyathea alleniae is a species of tree fern native to the Malay Peninsula, where it grows in forest margin on steep ground at an altitude of approximately 1200 m. The trunk is erect, about 4 m tall and 15 cm in diameter. It is usually unbranched, but may branch to form several small crowns. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and 1–2 m long. The stipe is spiny at the base and at least partially covered by scales. Typically of section Alsophila, these scales are dark brown, glossy, and have fragile edges. Sori occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are covered by firm, brown indusia that resemble scales in appearance.
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 C. alpicola is thought to be Cyathea polycarpa, which differs by lacking spines altogether. Cyathea macropoda and Cyathea magnifolia may also be closely allied with this species.
Cyathea acuminata is a species of tree fern native to the islands of Panay and Samar in the Philippines. The trunk is erect and 1–4 m tall or more. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and about 1 m in length. The stipe is covered with scattered scales and spines. The scales are flat and dull brown in colour. Sori are present near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are covered by firm indusia.
Cyathea affinis is a variable species of tree fern native to Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands, Austral Islands, Tahiti, and the Marquesas Islands. The trunk of this plant is erect and 2–6 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and 2–3 m in length. The rachis and stipe are pale to brown in colour, or flushed with red towards the pinnule rachis. The stipe is sparsely covered in narrow basal scales, which are pale to dark and have broad fragile edges. Characteristically of this species, the lowest one or two pairs of pinnae may be slightly reduced and occur towards the base of the stipe. Sori are located near the pinnule midvein and are partially or fully covered by indusia, which open towards the pinnule margin.
Cyathea albidosquamata is a species of tree fern native to the Maluku Islands and New Guinea, where it grows in rain forest and montane forest at an altitude of 1200–1500 m. The trunk is erect and about 2 m tall. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and 1-1.5 m in length. The lower surface of the rachis is covered in scales and the stipe has scattered scales throughout its length. These are glossy and pale, with dull, fragile edges. Sori occur near the fertile pinnule midvein and have flat indusia which resemble small saucers.
Cyathea abbottii is a species of tree fern native to Hispaniola, where it grows in shaded montane forest at an altitude of 700–1200 m. The trunk is erect and can grow up to 1.6 m in height and 5 cm in diameter. Fronds may reach 1.5 m in length and are pinnate. The rachis is brown and is covered in golden-brown to bicoloured basal scales. Sori are arranged in two rows along each side of the pinnule midvein. Indusia are rounded and in the shape of a cup.
Cyathea acanthophora is a species of tree fern endemic to Kinabalu National Park in Borneo, where it grows in montane rain forest at an altitude of 1250–2000 m. The trunk is erect and can grow as tall as 5 m or higher. Fronds are 2–3 m in length and bi- or tripinnate. The stipe is dark towards the base and has slender spines. It is covered with scattered scales, which are glossy brown and have a narrow paler margin. Sori occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules. They are covered in thin, fragile indusia, which resemble small saucers.
Cyathea acrostichoides is a species of tree fern native to the Maluku Islands and Western New Guinea, where it grows in forest and disturbed sites at an altitude of 650–1100 m. The trunk is erect and usually 1–3 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and 1–2 m long. The stipe is slender and covered with spines. It is sparsely covered with medium brown scales. Sori cover most of the underside of fertile pinnules. C. acrostichoides lacks indusia.
The tree ferns are the ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. Most tree ferns are members of the "core tree ferns", belonging to the families Dicksoniaceae, Metaxyaceae, and Cibotiaceae in the order Cyatheales. This order is the third group of ferns known to have given rise to tree-like forms. The two others are the Marattiales, a eusporangiate order that the extinct Psaronius evolved from, and the order Polypodiales where the extinct genus Tempskya belongs.
The Cyatheaceae are the scaly tree fern family and include the world's tallest tree ferns, which reach heights up to 20 m. They are also very ancient plants, appearing in the fossil record in the late Jurassic, though the modern genera likely appeared in the Cenozoic. Cyatheaceae are the largest family of tree ferns, including about 500 species. Cyatheaceae and Dicksoniaceae, together with Metaxyaceae and Cibotiaceae, are a monophyletic group and constitute the "core tree ferns". Cyatheaceae are leptosporangiate ferns, the most familiar group of monilophytes.
Alsophila can mean:
Cyathea amintae is a species of tree fern native to Puerto Rico, 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.
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.
Cyathea crassa is a species of tree fern endemic to the Santo Domingo area in the Dominican Republic. Little is known about this rare tree fern.
Cyathea elongata is a species of tree fern native to Venezuela and Colombia, where it grows in montane areas at an altitude of 2000–3000 m. The trunk is erect and up to 11 m tall. Fronds are pinnate and usually 2–3 m long. The rachis and stipe are brown, may be smooth to warty and have basal tan scales. Sori occur in small groups towards the base of the pinnule midvein and are covered by cup-like indusia.
Cyathea esmeraldensis is a species of tree fern which is endemic to Ecuador. It grows in coastal forest and forested slopes of the Andes.
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 altitude 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.
Alsophila fenicis is an obsolete synonym of two tree ferns:
Alsophila glaziovii is an obsolete synonym of two species of tree ferns:
Alsophila comosa is an obsolete synonym of a number of tree ferns:
Cyathea hunsteiniana is a species of tree fern endemic to eastern New Guinea, where it grows in rain forest at an altitude of 1300–2000 m. This species has a slender, erect trunk up to 1 m tall and about 3 cm in diameter. Fronds are bipinnate and approximately 1 m in length. Scattered scales cover the stipe. They are dark brown in colouration and have a broad paler margin and fragile edges. Round sori are borne one or two per fertile pinnule segment. The sori are protected by deep, firm indusia that are cup-like in appearance.
Alsophila lunulata is an obsolete synonym of two species of tree ferns:
Cyathea kanehirae is a species of tree fern native to western New Guinea, where it grows in montane forest at an altitude of 1600–2700 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and 1–4 m tall. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and 1–2 m in length. The rachis is smooth, while the stipe is dark and warty. The stipe is covered with flat, brown, scattered scales. Sori are borne near the fertile pinnule midvein. They are protected by small indusia that are cup-like in appearance.
Cyathea × boytelii is a tree fern endemic to the Sierra Maestra range of southeastern Cuba. It is a natural interspecific hybrid between Cyathea balanocarpa and Cyathea woodwardioides. The spores of C. × boytelii are normal in appearance; Caluff and Serrano (2002) suggest that it might therefore be fertile. This theory is strengthened by the presence of a large population of C. × boytelii in the Gran Piedra area. Caluff and Serrano (2002) note that "a full range of intermediates linking this hybrid with its parent species suggests the occurrence of backcrossing".
Sphaeropteris is a section in the monotypic subgenus Sphaeropteris. The name was originally applied to a genus of tree ferns which is now considered to be synonymous with Cyathea.
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