Alsophila glaucifolia
Appearance
Alsophila glaucifolia | |
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Growing near the village of la Plaine des Palmistes, Réunion | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Division: | Polypodiophyta |
Class: | Polypodiopsida |
Order: | Cyatheales |
Family: | Cyatheaceae |
Genus: | Alsophila |
Species: | A. glaucifolia
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Binomial name | |
Alsophila glaucifolia R.M.Tryon[1]
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Synonyms[1] | |
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Alsophila glaucifolia, synonym Cyathea glauca,[1] is a species of tree fern endemic to Réunion. Little is known about this species.
Habitat and related species
[edit]A. glaucifolia grows at higher altitudes (1,300–2,000 m (4,300–6,600 ft)), and it is one of three species of tree fern that are indigenous to Réunion island.
- Alsophila celsa (syn. Cyathea excelsa) which also occurs in Mauritius, grows at slightly lower altitudes (200-1700m). Like A. glaucifolia, its leaves are tripinnate, but the new fronds of A. celsa are scaleless; those of A. glaucifolia have red-brown scales.
- Alsophila borbonica (syn. Cyathea borbonica) is the only species with bipinnate fronds.[2][3]
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The fronds are tripinnate (branching to three levels).
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Detail of trunk and insertion of fronds. New growth is covered in red-brown scales. This serves to distinguish the species from the alien, non-indigenous Sphaeropteris cooperi (syn. Cyathea cooperi), which has red and white scales on its new growth.
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The alien Sphaeropteris cooperi can be distinguished from A. glaucifolia by the red and white scales on its new fronds.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Alsophila glaucifolia R.M.Tryon". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-07-25.[dead link ]
- ^ M. Glaubrecht (2010): Evolution in Action: Case studies in Adaptive Radiation, Speciation and the Origin of Biodiversity. Springer Science & Business Media. Science. p.13.
- ^ A revision of the fern family Cyatheaceae in the Mascarene Islands (2006)
External links
[edit]Media related to Alsophila glaucifolia at Wikimedia Commons