Biology:Cyathea glauca
From HandWiki
Short description: Species of fern
| Cyathea glauca | |
|---|---|
| Cyathea glauca growing near the village of la Plaine des Palmistes, Réunion. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Division: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Subgenus: | |
| Section: | |
| Species: | C. glauca
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cyathea glauca Bory, 1804
| |
Cyathea glauca is a species of tree fern endemic to Réunion. Little is known about this species. C. glauca is not to be confused with Cyathea glauca (Fourn., 1872) used as a synonym of Cyathea mexicana.
Habitat and related species
C. glauca grows at higher altitudes (1300-2000m) and it is one of three species of tree fern that are indigenous to Réunion island.
- Cyathea excelsa, which also occurs in Mauritius, grows at slightly lower altitudes (200-1700m). Like C. glauca, its leaves are tripinnate, but the new fronds of Cyathea excelsa are scaleless; those of C. glauca have red-brown scales.
- Cyathea borbonica var. borbonica is the only species with bipinnate fronds.[1][2]
-
The fronds of Cyathea glauca are tripinnate (branching to three levels).
-
Cyathea glauca growing under Acacia heterophylla in the forest of Bélouve, Réunion.
-
Detail of trunk and insertion of fronds. New growth is covered in red-brown scales. This serves to distinguish the species from the alien, non-indigenous Cyathea cooperi, which has red and white scales on its new growth.
-
The alien Cyathea cooperi can be distinguished from C.glauca by the red and white scales on its new fronds.
References
- ↑ M. Glaubrecht (2010): Evolution in Action: Case studies in Adaptive Radiation, Speciation and the Origin of Biodiversity. Springer Science & Business Media. Science. p.13.
- ↑ A revision of the fern family Cyatheaceae in the Mascarene Islands (2006)
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q3008072 entry
