Cyathea atropurpurea
Encyclopedia
Cyathea atropurpurea is a species of tree fern
native to the islands of Luzon
, Mindanao
, Leyte
and Mindanao
in the Philippines
, where it grows in forest at above 1000 m. The erect trunk is slender and may be up to 3 m tall. Frond
s are bipinnate and 1-2 m long. Characteristically of this species, the final pair of pinnae are usually reduced and occur towards the base of the stipe
. These, along with the stipe bases, are persistent and retained around the trunk long after withering. The stipe itself is dark and covered with scale
s, which are either small, dull and brown or large, dark and glossy. Sori
occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules and lack indusia. Fertile pinnules are notably smaller than sterile ones.
C. atropurpurea is very similar to Cyathea ramispina and may in fact represent the same species. It differs only in its smaller pinnae and pinnules, as well as other frond details.
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 the islands of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, Leyte
Leyte Island
Leyte is an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines.The island measures about 180 km north-south and about 65 km at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins Samar, separated by the San Juanico Strait, which becomes as narrow as 2 km in some places...
and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, where it grows in forest at above 1000 m. The erect trunk is slender and may be up to 3 m tall. 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 bipinnate and 1-2 m long. Characteristically of this species, the final pair of pinnae are usually reduced and occur towards the base of the 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....
. These, along with the stipe bases, are persistent and retained around the trunk long after withering. The stipe itself is dark and covered with 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, which are either small, dull and brown or large, dark and glossy. 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....
occur near the midvein of fertile pinnules and lack indusia. Fertile pinnules are notably smaller than sterile ones.
C. atropurpurea is very similar to Cyathea ramispina and may in fact represent the same species. It differs only in its smaller pinnae and pinnules, as well as other frond details.