Cyathea esmeraldensis

Cyathea esmeraldensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Pteridopsida
Order: Cyatheales
Family: Cyatheaceae
Genus: Cyathea
Species: C. esmeraldensis
Binomial name
Cyathea esmeraldensis
(R. C. Moran)
Synonyms
  • Alsophila esmeraldensis R. C. Moran, 1995

Cyathea esmeraldensis (syn. Cyathea esmeraldensis) is a species of tree fern which is endemic to Ecuador. It grows in coastal forest and forested slopes of the Andes.[1]

Description

The erect, slender trunk is about 80 cm tall and approximately 3 cm in diameter. Fronds may be either simply pinnate or bipinnate basally. They are erect or spreading and up to 2.5 m long. The rachis ranges in colour from dark brown to blackish and bears a few scales. The scales are linear, bicoloured (whitish with a central brown region) and with edges and apexes with dark setae. Sori are covered by cup-like indusia. Cyathea esmeraldensis forms part of the group centered on Cyathea minor. Its closest relative appears to be Cyathea stuebelii from the eastern Andes. It differs from that species in its more erect fronds. The two may represent sister species.[2]

Notes

  1. Navarrete, H. & Pitman, N. 2003. Alsophila esmeraldensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. Downloaded on 31 August 2015.
    • Braggins, John E. & Large, Mark F. 2004. Tree Ferns. Timber Press, Inc., p. 310. ISBN 0-88192-630-2

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.