Dicksonia antarctica, the soft tree fern or man fern, is a species of evergreen tree fern native to eastern Australia, ranging from south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania.
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.
Sphaeropteris medullaris, synonym Cyathea medullaris, commonly known as mamaku or black tree fern, is a large tree fern up to 20 m tall. It is distributed across the south-west Pacific from Fiji to Pitcairn Island. Its other Māori names include katātā, kōrau, or pītau.
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.
Sphaeropteris albidosquamata, synonym 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.
Alsophila aneitensis, synonym Cyathea aneitensis, is a species of tree fern native to Vanuatu and possibly New Caledonia. This species has an erect trunk up to 3 m tall. Fronds are bipinnate and may reach 2 m in length. The rachis and stipe are either very dark and smooth or have a few scales towards the base of the stipe. The scales are dark and narrow. Sori occur near the pinnule midvein and are covered by large, thin, fragile indusia. The closest relative of A. aneitensis appears to be Alsophila vieillardii. It can be distinguished from that species by its very dark stipes and frond bases.
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.
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 colensoi, also known as the creeping tree fern, mountain tree fern and golden tree fern, is a species of tree fern native to New Zealand, from the southern part of the North Island south to Stewart Island. It grows in submontane to montane forest in damp areas, particularly near the tree line. The trunk is usually prostrate, but may sometimes be erect. It may reach about 1 m in height. Fronds are tripinnate and about 1.5 m long or more. The rachis and stipe are slender, pale brown and are covered with brown scales. Sori occur in two rows, one along each side of the fertile pinnule midvein, and lack indusia. Plants form a thicket with no sign of a trunk.
Alsophila dregei, synonym Cyathea dregei, is a widespread species of tree fern in southern Africa.
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.
Sphaeropteris squamulata, synonym Cyathea squamulata, is a species of tree fern native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the southern Philippines, including the Sulu Archipelago, where it grows in forest from the lowlands to an altitude of about 1500 m. The trunk is erect and up to 2 m tall. Fronds are pinnate or bipinnate and approximately 1.5 m long. The stipe is covered in densely packed firm, medium brown scales. 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, synonym 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.
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.
Sphaeropteris elmeri, synonym Cyathea elmeri, is a species of tree fern native to the Philippines, Talaud Islands, and northern Sulawesi, where it grows in forest at an altitude of 500–1400 m. The trunk of this plant is erect and 5–10 m tall. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and up to 2 m or more in length. The lower surface of the rachis is distinctively pale and warty. The stipe is covered with scales and has warts towards the base. The scales are large, tapering, thin, and medium brown in colouration. Sori are borne near the fertile pinnule midvein. Indusia are absent.
Sphaeropteris propinqua, synonym Cyathea propinqua, is a species of tree fern native to Fiji and possibly Samoa, where it grows in wet forest. The trunk of this plant is erect and slender, growing to 10 m in height. Fronds may be bi- or tripinnate and 2–3 m long. Dull brown scales cover the dull, dark stipe of this species. The scales are minute along most of its length, becoming thick and fleshy towards the base. Sori are borne halfway between the pinnule midvein and the edge of the lobe. Indusia are present.
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 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.
Culcita macrocarpa, or the woolly tree fern, is a species of tree fern of the family Culcitaceae native to Macaronesia and parts of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the only tree fern native to Europe.
