Edit History
Cyathea capensis (L.f.) Sm. var capensis [family CYATHEACEAE]
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Swaziland ferns and fern allies
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Swaziland Ferns and Fern Allies, (2003) Author: J.P. Roux
Names
Cyathea capensis (L.f.) Sm. var capensis [family CYATHEACEAE]
Common names
Vernacular names: Slender tree fern; Cape tree fern; Forest tree fern; Bosboomvaring (Afr.)
Information
Plants terrestrial or epilithic. Caudex slender, to 3 m tall, to 100 mm in diameter, frequently with few short side branches, densely covered by adventitious roots. Fronds to 16 per plant, caespitose, arching, to 1.8 m long; stipe greenish-brown, adaxially shallowly sulcate, to 80 mm long, to 8 mm in diameter, proximally densely set with smaller and larger scales, smaller scales sessile, irregularly branched, with glands near the point of attachment, larger scales chartaceus, bicolorous, the central region crustaceous, castaneus to atrocastaneus, nitid, margins membranous, stramineous, sessile, narrowly lanceolate-acuminate, cordate, margins closely and irregularly fimbriate, apex terminates in a castaneus seta, to 12 mm long, to 1.5 mm wide; lamina proximally anadromous, catadromous distally, ovate to elliptic, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, to 1.6 m long, to 670 mm wide, with up to 14 petiolated pinna pairs; rachis castaneus to stramineous, adaxially shallowly sulcate, sparsely set with scales similar to those on the stipe base; pinnae petiolate, petiole to 18 mm long, alternate, the basal pinna pair (aphlebia) curled, ovate, to 2-pinnate, segments thinly herbaceous, much reduced, to 170 mm long, to 110 mm wide, pinnae higher up 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, lanceolate to oblong-acuminate, to 340 mm long, to 130 mm wide, with up to 20 petiolated pinnule pairs; pinna-rachis terete, moderately scaled, scales thinly herbaceous, ferrugineus, sessile, oblong, closely and variably set with simple and branched fimbriae, apical cell crustaceous, castaneus, subulate, to 1.3 mm long, to 0.3 mm wide; pinnules sessile, firmly herbaceous, pinnatifid, linear-acuminate, to 65 mm long, to 13 mm wide, adaxially glabrous, abaxially often scaled along the costae and costules, scales chartaceus, ferrugineus, sessile, cordate, bullate, margins closely and variably set with simple and branched fimbriae, apical cell crustaceous, castaneus, subulate, to 1.6 mm long, to 0.5 mm wide; costa adaxially raised, pronounced abaxially; segments linear-acute, serrate, to 8 mm long, to 2 mm wide. Venation evident, pinnately branched in the segments, vein branches simple or forked, ending in the margin. Sori up to 3 pairs on each segment, circular, if single then inframedial on acroscopic vein branch; receptacle raised, paraphysate, paraphyses pluricellular, simple, uniseriate to pluriseriate, apical cell thin-walled, glandular; sporangium with a short 4-seriate stalk, simple, laterally attached, capsule obtriangular in lateral view, annulus complete, with (16-)18(-19) indurated annulus cells; indusium inferior, cupulate to flabellate, repand to irregularly lobed. Spores 16 per sporangium, brown, tetrahedral, trilete, tuberculate, with echinulate ridges, exospore (40-)44.46(-50) (m in diameter. Figure 25A-C.
Habitat
Ecology: Terrestrial, in moist conditions along perennial streams, in deep shade in evergreen forests. Not edaphically bound. Mesophanerophyte, mesophytic; fronds mesomorphic. Vegetative reproduction evidently nonexistent. Seasonal pattern nonexistent, as a result of habitat preferences, growth takes place throughout the year.
Range
Distribution: Localised in Swaziland and currently known from the Bulembu and Hlathikhulu areas only, occurring between 1 200 and 1 520 m. The species is restricted to east and south tropical Africa and southern Africa.
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Swaziland ferns and fern allies
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Swaziland Ferns and Fern Allies, (2003) Author: J.P. Roux
Names
Cyathea capensis (L.f.) Sm. var capensis [family CYATHEACEAE]
Common names
Vernacular names: Slender tree fern; Cape tree fern; Forest tree fern; Bosboomvaring (Afr.)
Information
Plants terrestrial or epilithic. Caudex slender, to 3 m tall, to 100 mm in diameter, frequently with few short side branches, densely covered by adventitious roots. Fronds to 16 per plant, caespitose, arching, to 1.8 m long; stipe greenish-brown, adaxially shallowly sulcate, to 80 mm long, to 8 mm in diameter, proximally densely set with smaller and larger scales, smaller scales sessile, irregularly branched, with glands near the point of attachment, larger scales chartaceus, bicolorous, the central region crustaceous, castaneus to atrocastaneus, nitid, margins membranous, stramineous, sessile, narrowly lanceolate-acuminate, cordate, margins closely and irregularly fimbriate, apex terminates in a castaneus seta, to 12 mm long, to 1.5 mm wide; lamina proximally anadromous, catadromous distally, ovate to elliptic, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, to 1.6 m long, to 670 mm wide, with up to 14 petiolated pinna pairs; rachis castaneus to stramineous, adaxially shallowly sulcate, sparsely set with scales similar to those on the stipe base; pinnae petiolate, petiole to 18 mm long, alternate, the basal pinna pair (aphlebia) curled, ovate, to 2-pinnate, segments thinly herbaceous, much reduced, to 170 mm long, to 110 mm wide, pinnae higher up 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, lanceolate to oblong-acuminate, to 340 mm long, to 130 mm wide, with up to 20 petiolated pinnule pairs; pinna-rachis terete, moderately scaled, scales thinly herbaceous, ferrugineus, sessile, oblong, closely and variably set with simple and branched fimbriae, apical cell crustaceous, castaneus, subulate, to 1.3 mm long, to 0.3 mm wide; pinnules sessile, firmly herbaceous, pinnatifid, linear-acuminate, to 65 mm long, to 13 mm wide, adaxially glabrous, abaxially often scaled along the costae and costules, scales chartaceus, ferrugineus, sessile, cordate, bullate, margins closely and variably set with simple and branched fimbriae, apical cell crustaceous, castaneus, subulate, to 1.6 mm long, to 0.5 mm wide; costa adaxially raised, pronounced abaxially; segments linear-acute, serrate, to 8 mm long, to 2 mm wide. Venation evident, pinnately branched in the segments, vein branches simple or forked, ending in the margin. Sori up to 3 pairs on each segment, circular, if single then inframedial on acroscopic vein branch; receptacle raised, paraphysate, paraphyses pluricellular, simple, uniseriate to pluriseriate, apical cell thin-walled, glandular; sporangium with a short 4-seriate stalk, simple, laterally attached, capsule obtriangular in lateral view, annulus complete, with (16-)18(-19) indurated annulus cells; indusium inferior, cupulate to flabellate, repand to irregularly lobed. Spores 16 per sporangium, brown, tetrahedral, trilete, tuberculate, with echinulate ridges, exospore (40-)44.46(-50) (m in diameter. Figure 25A-C.
Habitat
Ecology: Terrestrial, in moist conditions along perennial streams, in deep shade in evergreen forests. Not edaphically bound. Mesophanerophyte, mesophytic; fronds mesomorphic. Vegetative reproduction evidently nonexistent. Seasonal pattern nonexistent, as a result of habitat preferences, growth takes place throughout the year.
Range
Distribution: Localised in Swaziland and currently known from the Bulembu and Hlathikhulu areas only, occurring between 1 200 and 1 520 m. The species is restricted to east and south tropical Africa and southern Africa.
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