Common name: Tree Fern
Cyathea macarthurii (F.Muell.) Baker APNI* Description: Trunk to 4 m or more tall, usually ±shaggy with dark, persistent frond bases, sometimes clear with round scars.
Fronds: stipe prickly, with light brown woolly indumentum covered with long, twisted, acuminate brown scales 2–3 cm long; costae glabrous above, with a pale brown, woolly, felt-like indumentum of pale crumpled hairs (easily rubbed off), over a finely warty surface below; lamina bipinnatisect; primary pinnae to 50 cm long, slender-pointed; secondary pinnae 7–11 cm long, 1.5 cm broad; largest pinnules 16–18 pairs, 5–9 mm long, 2–3 mm broad, ±glaucous, shallowly adnate by 0.5 mm on each side of the costae.
Sori with saucer-shaped indusia.
Distribution and occurrence: Lord Howe Is. Endemic; perhaps the commonest tree fern on the Island, widespread from relatively low elevations (e.g. Intermediate Hill) onto the mountains.
NSW subdivisions: LHI
Text by E.A. Brown
Taxon concept: Flora of Australia 49
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
|
