Cyathea glauca

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.

Cyathea glauca
Cyathea glauca growing near the village of la Plaine des Palmistes, Réunion.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Pteridophyta
Class:
Pteridopsida
Order:
Cyatheales
Family:
Cyatheaceae
Genus:
Cyathea
Subgenus:
Cyathea
Section:
Cyathea
Species:
C. glauca
Binomial name
Cyathea glauca
Bory, 1804

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
  1. M. Glaubrecht (2010): Evolution in Action: Case studies in Adaptive Radiation, Speciation and the Origin of Biodiversity. Springer Science & Business Media. Science. p.13.
  2. A revision of the fern family Cyatheaceae in the Mascarene Islands (2006)

Media related to Alsophila glaucifolia at Wikimedia Commons


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