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Taxa
Cyathea
Nomenclature
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Order: CyathealesFamily: Cyatheaceae
Genus:
Cyathea
SUMMARY
Genus Cyathea (Smith, J.E. 1793) (470-600 species), is by far the largest of a small number of genera constituting the family Cyatheaceae. It comprises mainly terrestrial tree ferns, most often presenting with a single tall stem, but rarely the trunk may be creeping or branched. Many species develop a tangled mass of roots at the base of the trunk. The fronds range in size from 0.25 m to 6 m (usually 2-4 m). The genus is distributed predominantly in the New World (Caribbean to South America), but the subgenus (also Cyathea) extends across the pacific to Australia. Habitats range from tropical lowland rain forest to the Andes mountains (4200 m). (Braggins & Large,2004).
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