Cyathea alpicola
Encyclopedia
Cyathea alpicola is a species of tree fern
native to central Sumatra
, where it grows in montane rain forest at an altitude of 2000-2750 m. The erect trunk can reach 5 m or more in height. Frond
s are bi- or tripinnate and usually 2-3 m long. They have a tendency to persist on the plant after withering, forming an irregular skirt around the trunk. This species has a spiny stipe
, which is covered with a woolly layer of scale
s. There appear to be two forms with different scales; either dark glossy brown with a broad paler margin and fragile edges, or small, brown and finely fringed. Sori
are covered by thin, fragile indusia and occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules. The closest relative of C. alpicola is thought to be Cyathea polycarpa, which differs by lacking spines altogether. Cyathea macropoda and Cyathea magnifolia may also be closely allied with this species.
Cyatheales
The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. No clear morphological features characterize all of the Cyatheales, but DNA sequence data indicates that the order is monophyletic. Some species in the Cyatheales have tree-like growth...
native to central Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, where it grows in montane rain forest at an altitude of 2000-2750 m. The erect trunk can reach 5 m or more in height. Frond
Frond
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s are bi- or tripinnate and usually 2-3 m long. They have a tendency to persist on the plant after withering, forming an irregular skirt around the trunk. This species has a spiny stipe
Stipe (botany)
In botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....
, which is covered with a woolly layer of scale
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
s. There appear to be two forms with different scales; either dark glossy brown with a broad paler margin and fragile edges, or small, brown and finely fringed. Sori
Sorus
A sorus is a cluster of sporangia .In fungi and lichens, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae it may take the form of a depression into the thallus....
are covered by thin, fragile indusia and occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules. The closest relative of C. alpicola is thought to be Cyathea polycarpa, which differs by lacking spines altogether. Cyathea macropoda and Cyathea magnifolia may also be closely allied with this species.