This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Cyatheaceae is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Cyatheaceae | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Genera | ||||||||||
|
Cnemidaria |
||||||||||
| Synonyms | ||||||||||
|
The Cyatheaceae is a family of fern that includes the world's tallest tree ferns, which reach heights up to 20 m. They are also very ancient plants, appearing in the fossil record in the late Jurassic, though the modern genera likely appeared in the Tertiary.
All Cyatheaceae have scales instead of hairs, which are common in members of the family Dicksoniaceae. Their fronds are also very large, some of the largest in the plant kingdom. Some species have fronds reaching 3-4 m in length, and have a final crown width of some 6 m. The sori (spore clusters) also occur away from the margins of the pinnules (individual leaves), and are elongate or rounded.
Most Cyatheaceae are terrestrial, with one sometimes being epiphytic and others having a creeping habit, but these are exceptions to the family norm.
Since the exact number of species is not known, classification of the Cyatheaceae has had a long and controversial history, and is still undergoing revision. Three tentative clades have been developed: Alsophila, Cyathea, and Sphaeropteris. These are frequently used as genus names. There is one additional genus, Cnemidaria. It is likely that in time the Cyathea will be split into additional genera.
References
- Large, M.F. and J.E. Braggins Tree Ferns. Timber Press (2004). ISBN 0-88192-630-2
Links
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 12 November 2008, at 02:54.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Cyatheaceae".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.