12 - Cyatheaceae
from Division 3 - Polypodiophyta
Summary
Tree ferns. Fronds usually very large, pinnately compound, borne on a well-developed trunk; veins free. Sori superficial, dorsal. Indusia globose, at first covering the sori, finally splitting into lobes, or incomplete. Spores tetrahedral, without perispore.
Cyathea Sm.
Large, tree-like, terrestrial ferns, with an erect rhizome, tall and trunk-forming. Fronds forming large, spreading crowns at the apex of the trunk. Fronds all of one kind, very large and several times pinnately divided to produce a lace-like effect. Sori rounded, large. Indusia cup-shaped.
Contains several hundred species occurring in the tropics and subtropics of both the Old and New Worlds.
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- Flora of Great Britain and Ireland , pp. 23Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2018