Cyathea arborea

Cyathea arborea (Vernacular English: West Indian treefern[1] Vernacular Spanish: helecho gigante or palo camarón) is a plant of the family Cyatheaceae in the order Cyatheales. Tree ferns are an ancient form of plant life[2] that still survive in tropical forests. This species of tree fern is native to the Caribbean, including Cuba, Hispaniola, and the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico.

Cyathea arborea
At El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Pteridophyta
Class:
Pteridopsida
Order:
Cyatheales
Family:
Cyatheaceae
Genus:
Cyathea
Subgenus:
Cyathea
Section:
Cyathea
Species:
C. arborea
Binomial name
Cyathea arborea
Synonyms

Polypodium arboreum L.

Description

This perennial fern can reach a height of 27 feet. It has a thornless trunk measuring from 3 to 5 inches. The surface of the trunk is hard with a soft, white core. Its crown has 10 or more leaves in the form of a fan. When they are young, its leaves are rolled up and as they grow they unroll until they reach their horizontal position. As with all ferns,[2] species of the Cyatheaceae reproduce from spores. These are produced in small sporangia on the bottom side of their leaves.[3][4]

Habitat and ecology

Tree ferns as a group are mostly found it wet tropical forest, with Cyathea arborea itself being found in locations such as such as Puerto Rican moist forests and Hispaniolan moist forests. While they can grow under a canopy, it is likely that natural disturbances such as landslides and hurricanes create gaps in the forest canopy that allow them to regenerate.[5]

References
  1. "Cyathaea arborea". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  2. Sporne, K.R. (1970). The Morphology of Pteridophytes: The Structure of Ferns and Allied Plants (3 rd ed.). London: Hutchinson and Co.
  3. Mowbray, Alan M. Bosque Nacional del Caribe Guía Interpretativa de Palo Colorado. 2002. Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos. Bosque Nacional del Caribe.
  4. Miner Solá, E. (2000). Árboles de Puerto Rico y exóticos. 3rd Edition. ISBN 0-9633435-8-0. Editorial Puerto Rico.
  5. Keddy, Paul A. (2017). Plant Ecology: Origins, Processes, Consequences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-11423-4.


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