Cyatheaceae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pteridophyta Class: Pteridopsida Order: Cyatheales Family: Cyatheaceae Kaulfuss, 1827
Genera
Cnemidaria Cyathea × Cyathidaria †Alsophilocaulis †Cibotiocaulis †Cyatheocaulis †Oguracaulis This article explains how to read a taxobox. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1149x1723, 1151 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dominica Cyatheaceae Saint Joseph Parish, Dominica Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern, or pteridophyte, is any one of a group of some twenty thousand species of plants classified in the Division Pteridophyta, formerly known as Filicophyta. ... Subclasses Subclass: Cyatheatae Subclass: Schizaeatae Subclass: Pteriditae Subclass: Polypoditae The Pteridopsida is a class of plants in the Division Pteridophyta that includes the modern ferns. ... Familes and Genera Cyatheaceae     Alsophila     Cnemidaria     Cyathea     Sphaeropteris     Trichipteris Dicksoniaceae     Calochleana     Cibotium     Culcita     Cystodium     Dicksonia     Thyrsopteris Losophoriaceae     Lophosoria Loxomaceae     Loxoma     Loxsomopsis Metaxyaceae     Metaxya The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern (Division Pteridophyta) subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the Tree ferns. ... For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ... Species about 25, including Cnemidaria alatissima Cnemidaria amabilis Cnemidaria apiculata Cnemidaria bella Cnemidaria chocoensis Cnemidaria cruciata Cnemidaria ewanii Cnemidaria horrida Cnemidaria mutica Cnemidaria nervosa Cnemidaria spectabilis Cnemidaria tryoniana Cnemidaria uleana Cnemidaria is a genus of small tree ferns in the family Cyatheaceae. ... Species See text Cyathea is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. ...
Synonyms
Alsophilaceae Presl, 1847

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. In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ... Classes Psilotopsida Equisetopsida Marattiopsida Polypodiopsida A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ... Tree Fern refers to any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... // The image above is believed to be a replaceable fair use image. ... For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tertiary (disambiguation). ...

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. Genera Calochlaena Cibotium Culcita Cystodium Dicksonia Thysopteris The Dicksoniaceae are a family of tropical, subtropical and warm temperate ferns. ... The underside of a fertile frond of Dicksonia antarctica. ... The leaves of a Beech tree A leaf with laminar structure and pinnate venation In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ...

Most Cyatheaceae are terrestrial, with one sometimes being epiphytic and others having a creeping habit, but these are exceptions to the family norm. Near Orosí, Costa Rica Epiphytes on a tree near Santa Elena in Costa Rica An example of an epiphyte assemblage of orchids and bromeliads in a garden setting in Hawaii An epiphyte is any plant that grows upon or attached to another living plant. ...

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. A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ...

References

• Braggins, John E. and Large, Mark F. Tree Ferns. Timber Press (2004). ISBN 0-88192-630-2