Sphaeropteris

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Sphaeropteris
Blendys garden inferno ag.jpg
Sphaeropteris cooperi in Blandys Garden, Madeira
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Cyatheales
Family: Cyatheaceae
Genus: Sphaeropteris
Bernh. [1]
Type species
Sphaeropteris medullaris
(Forster) Bernh.
Species

See text.

Synonyms [2]
  • EatoniopterisJ.Bommer
  • FournieraJ.Bommer
  • SchizocaenaJ.Sm.
  • Cyathea (Sphaeropteris) (Bernh.) Holttum
Sphaeropteris excelsa (syn. Cyathea brownii) in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Cyathea RGBS.jpg
Sphaeropteris excelsa (syn. Cyathea brownii) in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Sphaeropteris intermedia in habitat in New Caledonia CyatheaIntermedia.JPG
Sphaeropteris intermedia in habitat in New Caledonia
Sphaeropteris medullaris in Auckland, New Zealand Cyathea medullaris.JPG
Sphaeropteris medullaris in Auckland, New Zealand

Sphaeropteris is a genus of tree fern in the family Cyatheaceae. It has been treated as a subgenus within the genus Cyathea , but is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). [3]

Contents

Description

Species of Sphaeropteris have a treelike habit, usually with a single tall stem, and large fronds to 5 m (16 ft) or more in length. The stalk (stipe) of the frond is strawlike or purple in colour, with pale to brown scales. The sori (spore-bearing structures) are rounded, with or without indusia (covers). [4]

Sphaeropteris is now separated from the other genera in the family Cyatheaceae primarily on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies. [3] However, the scales on the stalks (petioles) provide a morphological distinction. Sphaeropteris has scales without distinct margins, whereas the other genera have scales with distinct margins. [5] [6]

Taxonomy

The genus Sphaeropteris was erected by Johann Jakob Bernhardi in 1801. [7] It is placed in the family Cyatheaceae. [3] The division of the family into genera has had a long and controversial history. [6] Three or four clades have been suggested based on molecular phylogenetic studies. The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) accepts three genera, related as shown in the cladogram below. [3] Sphaeropteris is sister to the remaining members of the family.

Cyatheaceae

Sphaeropteris

Cyathea

Alsophila (including Gymnosphaera)

Older sources, such as the New Zealand Organisms Register as of October 2000, place Sphaeropteris within a very broadly defined Cyathea. [8]

Phylogeny

As of August 2019, the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World accepted the following species: [2]

Phylogeny of Sphaeropteris [9] [10]

section

S. novae-caledoniae (Mettenius ex Fournier) Tryon

S. auriculifera (Copeland) Tryon

S. tripinnata (Copeland) Tryon

S. truncata (Brackenridge) Tryon

S. aciculosa (Copeland) Tryon

S. australis (Presl) Tryon

S. celebica (Blume) Tryon

Fourniera

S. albifrons (Vieill. ex Fournier) Tryon

section

S. pulcherrima (Copeland) Tryon

S. philippinensis (Bak.) Tryon

S. megalosora (Copeland) Tryon

S. capitata (Copeland) Tryon

S. polypoda (Bak.) Tryon

S. squamulata (Bl.) Tryon

S. moluccana (Desvaux) Tryon

S. trichodesma (Scort. ex Beddome) Tryon

S. rosenstockii (Brause) Tryon

S. microlepidota (Copeland) Tryon

S. marginata (Brause) Tryon

S. runensis (van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh) Tryon

S. setifera (Holttum) Tryon

S. tripinnatifida (Wallich ex Roxburgh) Tryon

S. werneri (Rosenstock) Tryon

S. brackenridgei (Mettenius) Tryon

S. procera (Brause) Tryon

S. propinqua (Mettenius) Tryon

Schizocaena
section

S. insignis (Eaton) Tryon

S. horrida (Liebmann) Tryon

S. quindiuensis (Karsten) Tryon

S. gardneri (Hooker) Tryon

S. brunei (Christ) Tryon

S. cuatrecasasii Tryon

S. elmeri (Copeland) Tryon

S. intermedia (Mettenius) Tryon

S. feani (Brown) Tryon

S. medullaris (Forster) Bernh.

S. brunoniana (Wallich ex Hooker 1844) Tryon

S. lepifera (Smith ex Hooker) Tryon

S. robusta (Moore ex Watts) Tryon

S. cooperi (von Mueller) Tryon

S. excelsa (Endl.) Tryon

S. persquamulifera (van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh) Tryon

S. aeneifolia (van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh) Tryon

S. atrox (Christensen) Tryon

S. tomentosissima (Copeland) Tryon

S. lunulata (Forster) Tryon

S. tenggerensis (Rosenstock) Tryon

S. angiensis (Gepp) Tryon

S. atrospinosa (Holttum) Tryon

S. glauca (Bl.) Tryon

S. mertensiana (Kunze) Tryon

S. nigricans (Mettenius) Tryon

S. pilulifera (Copeland) Tryon

S. felina (Roxburgh) Pichi Sermolli

S. vittata (Copeland) Tryon

Sphaeropteris

Other species include:

Distribution and habitat

The native distribution of the genus Sphaeropteris extends from southern China down through eastern tropical Asia to New Zealand, with a separate area in Central America and north-western South America. Some species are also naturalized in Africa and western Australia. [1]

Species of Sphaeropteris are large plants and require space to grow. They usually prefer less shaded conditions than species of Alsophila. They are found in rain forests and tropical montane forests, often in clearings or on the margins, from the canopy layer down to the understorey layer. They are also found in ravines, swamps and disturbed areas. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pteris</i> Genus of ferns in the subfamily Pteridoideae

Pteris (brake) is a genus of about 300 species of ferns in the subfamily Pteridoideae of the family Pteridaceae. They are native to tropical and subtropical regions, southward to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, north to Japan and North America. 78 species are found in China. Some species of Pteris have considerable economic and ecological value, such as Pteris multifida, Pteris ensiformis, Pteris vittata can be used for ornamental purposes; as a hyperaccumulator, Pteris multifida and Pteris vittata can be used to control soil pollution.

<i>Cyathea</i> Genus of ferns

Cyathea is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polypodiaceae</span> Family of ferns

Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016, the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae. A broader circumscription has also been used, in which the family includes other families kept separate in PPG I. Nearly all species are epiphytes, but some are terrestrial.

<i>Oleandra</i> Genus of ferns

Oleandra is a genus of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016, it is the only genus in the family Oleandraceae, which is placed in suborder Polypodiineae, order Polypodiales. Alternatively, the family may be placed in a very broadly defined family Polypodiaceae sensu lato as the subfamily Oleandroideae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyatheaceae</span> Family of ferns

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 hermannii, synonym Cyathea christiiCopel., is a species of tree fern endemic to Mindanao in the Philippines, where it grows in forest at an altitude of 900–1800 m. The trunk is erect and may be 5 m tall or more. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and 2–3 m long. The stipe is covered with some warts and narrow, brown scales. Sori occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules and are covered by thin, fragile indusia.

Gymnosphaera is a genus of tree ferns in family Cyatheaceae.

<i>Alsophila</i> (plant) Genus of ferns

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.

<i>Plagiogyria</i> Genus of ferns

Plagiogyria is a genus of ferns, the only genus in family Plagiogyriaceae in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016. Alternatively, the family may be treated as the subfamily Plagiogyrioideae of a very broadly defined family Cyatheaceae, the placement used for the genus in Plants of the World Online as of November 2019.

<i>Saccoloma</i> Genus of ferns

Saccoloma is a fern genus in family Saccolomataceae. It is the only genus in the family in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016, but further investigation is needed. It is pantropical and its species are found in wet, shaded forest areas. Saccoloma species are characterized by an omega-shaped (Ω) vascular bundle in the cross-sections of their petioles. The common name soralpouch fern is used for Saccoloma.

<i>Trichomanes</i> Genus of ferns

Trichomanes is a genus of ferns in the family Hymenophyllaceae, termed bristle ferns. The circumscription of the genus is disputed. All ferns in the genus are filmy ferns, with leaf tissue typically 2 cells thick. This thinness generally necessitates a permanently humid habitat, and makes the fronds somewhat translucent. Because of this membrane-like frond tissue, the plant is prone to drying out. “Filmy ferns” in the taxa Hymenophyllaceae grow in constantly wet environments. Many are found in cloud forests such as “Choco” in Colombia. There are also members of the taxa that can grow submersed in water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lomariopsidaceae</span> Family of ferns

The Lomariopsidaceae is a family of ferns with a largely tropical distribution. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family is placed in the suborder Polypodiineae of the order Polypodiales. Alternatively, it may be treated as the subfamily Lomariopsidoideae of a very broadly defined family Polypodiaceae sensu lato.

<i>Metaxya</i> Genus of ferns

Metaxya is a neotropical genus of ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is the only genus in the family Metaxyaceae in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016. Alternatively, the genus may be placed in the subfamily Metaxyoideae of a more broadly defined family Cyatheaceae, the family placement used in Plants of the World Online as of November 2019.

<i>Didymoglossum</i> Genus of ferns

Didymoglossum is a tropical genus of ferns in the family Hymenophyllaceae. It comprises more than 30 epilithic or low-epiphytic species under two subgenera. The genus is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016, but not by some other sources which sink it into a broadly defined Trichomanes.

<i>Sphaeropteris intermedia</i> Species of fern

Sphaeropteris intermedia, synonym Cyathea intermedia, is a species of tree fern endemic to the east coast of New Caledonia. S. intermedia is the world's largest extant species of fern.

<i>Vandenboschia</i> Genus of ferns

Vandenboschia is a fern genus in the family Hymenophyllaceae. The genus is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 but not by some other sources.

<i>Abrodictyum</i> Genus of ferns

Abrodictyum is a fern genus in the family Hymenophyllaceae. The genus is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 but not by some other sources, which sink it into a broadly defined Trichomanes.

<i>Diplopterygium</i> Genus of ferns

Diplopterygium is a genus of ferns in the family Gleicheniaceae.

Vaginularia is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Vittarioideae of the family Pteridaceae in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016. Other sources sink the genus into Monogramma, a genus not recognized in PPG I.

Sphaeropteris rosenstockii is a species of tree fern in the family Cyatheaceae, native to New Guinea. It was first described by Guido Brause in 1920 as Cyathea rosenstockii, and transferred to Sphaeropteris by Rolla Tryon in 1970.

References

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  2. 1 2 Hassler, Michael & Schmitt, Bernd (June 2019), Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World, vol. 8, retrieved 2019-08-22
  3. 1 2 3 4 PPG I (2016), "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns", Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 54 (6): 563–603, doi: 10.1111/jse.12229 , S2CID   39980610
  4. 1 2 Zhang, Xianchun & Nishida, Harufumi. "Alsophila". In Wu, Zhengyi; Raven, Peter H. & Hong, Deyuan (eds.). Flora of China (online). eFloras.org. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  5. Weigand, Anna & Lehnert, Marcus (2016), "The scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae-Polypodiopsida) of Brazil" (PDF), Acta Botanica Brasilica, 30 (3): 336–350, doi: 10.1590/0102-33062016abb0065
  6. 1 2 Korall, Petra; Conant, David S.; Metzgar, Jordan S.; Schneider, Harald & Pryer, Kathleen M. (2007). "A molecular phylogeny of scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 94 (5): 873–886. doi:10.3732/ajb.94.5.873. PMID   21636456 . Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  7. "Sphaeropteris Bernh". The International Plant Names Index . Retrieved 2019-09-27.
  8. "Sphaeropteris Bernh.", NZOR New Zealand Organisms Register, October 2000, retrieved 2019-09-27
  9. Nitta, Joel H.; Schuettpelz, Eric; Ramírez-Barahona, Santiago; Iwasaki, Wataru; et al. (2022). "An Open and Continuously Updated Fern Tree of Life". Frontiers in Plant Science. 13: 909768. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.909768 . PMC   9449725 . PMID   36092417.
  10. "Tree viewer: interactive visualization of FTOL". FTOL v1.5.0 [GenBank release 256]. 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.