Cibotium
Genus of plants
title: "Cibotium" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cibotium", "medicinal-plants", "fern-genera"] description: "Genus of plants" topic_path: "general/cibotium" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cibotium" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of plants ::
| image = Starr_040713-0079_Cibotium_menziesii.jpg | image_caption = Hāpuu ii (Cibotium menziesii) | parent_authority = Korall | taxon = Cibotium | authority = Kaulf. | type_species = Cibotium chamissoi | type_species_authority = Kaulfuss | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms=
- Hiatea Menzies ex Hooker
- Pinonia Gaudichaud-Beaupré
Cibotium (from Greek {{linktext|κιβώτιον}}, kibṓtion, "little chest" or "box"), also known as manfern, is a genus of 11 species of tropical tree ferns. It is the only genus in family Cibotiaceae in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Alternatively, the family may be treated as the subfamily Cibotioideae of a very broadly defined family Cyatheaceae, the family placement used for the genus in Plants of the World Online .
Species
, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species and hybrids: ::data[format=table]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Cibotium arachnoideum (C.Chr.) Holttum | Borneo, Sumatra. | |
| [[File:Gardenology.org-IMG 7869 qsbg11mar.jpg | 120px]] | Cibotium barometz (L.) J.Sm. |
| [[File:Cibotium chamissoi (5187378843).jpg | 120px]] | Cibotium chamissoi Kaulf. |
| [[File:Cibotium cumingii - Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg - DSC08035.JPG | 120px]] | Cibotium cumingii Kunze |
| [[File:Starr 050130-3338 Cibotium glaucum.jpg | 120px]] | Cibotium glaucum (Sm.) Hook. & Arn. |
| Cibotium × helenae D.D.Palmer (C. chamissoi × C. menziesii) | Hawaii (Oahu). | |
| [[File:Starr 040713-0079 Cibotium menziesii.jpg | 120px]] | Cibotium menziesii Hook. |
| Cibotium nealiae Degen. | Hawaii (Kauai). | |
| [[File:Laeken Royal Greenhouses Cibotium regale 01.jpg | 120px]] | Cibotium regale Verschaff. ex Regel |
| [[File:Cibotium schiedei - Botanischer Garten München-Nymphenburg - DSC08006.JPG | 120px]] | Cibotium schiedei Schltdl. & Cham. |
| Cibotium sumatranum Christ | Sumatra. | |
| [[File:台灣金狗毛蕨 - 溪頭自然教育園區 Cibotium taiwanense - Xitou Nature Education Area, Taiwan 20220614191217 04.jpg | 120px]] | Cibotium taiwanense C.M.Kuo |
| :: |
Some extinct species have also been placed in this genus:
- †Cibotium iwatense Ogura
- †Cibotium oregonense Barrington
Phylogeny
::data[format=table]
| Phylogeny of Cibotium |
|---|
| :: |
Distribution
Species of the genus are distributed fairly narrowly in Hawaii (four species, plus a hybrid, collectively known as hāpuu), Southeast Asia (five species), and the cloud forests of Central America and Mexico (two species). The natural habitat of Cibotium is among the dripping trees and stream gullies of the rainforests on Hawaii's windward volcanic slopes (Olaa Forest).
The fossil record indicates that the genus was once a part of the boreotropical flora found in Europe, eastern North America, and western Asia. Fossilized Cibotium oregonense was found near Medford, Oregon, and fossilized Cibotium iwatense was found in Iwate, Japan.
No publicly accessible Cibotium collections are growing outdoors in the United Kingdom, but two glasshouse collections are kept at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the RBG Edinburgh in Scotland. Specimens of Cibotium regale in the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken are visible to the public when the glasshouses open in May.
Uses
Cibotium glaucum, from Hawaii, is the most frequently encountered Cibotium species in the horticultural trade, along with its sibling species Cibotium chamissoi and the large-growing Cibotium menziesii. They are sometimes seen in California garden designs.
Cibotium barometz is best known for its role in ancient medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used as an anti-inflammatory and an anodyne; its rhizome hairs are used in Malaysia and China as a styptic for wounds. It is still exported from Malaysia for this purpose. Hair-covered pieces of the rhizome, with bud stalks imitating legs, were used to lend credence to the medieval legend of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, a half-sheep, half-plant hybrid.
Historically, women in Hawaiʻi have used the furry part of the Cibotium as a tampon.
Threats
Pressure on Hawaiian Cibotium habitats comes from development encroaching on the forested areas, especially the more accessible, lower-lying areas which are commercially attractive for land clearance. A less obvious threat comes from an invasive introduced tree fern species: Cyathea cooperi (the most popular garden tree fern in the United States), which has escaped from the islands' suburban gardens and now outcompetes the endemic flora. Wind-blown spores from this rapidly growing Australian import can migrate many miles into pristine Cibotium forests. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, but one which may eventually have grave consequences for the tree fern ecosystem in Hawaii.
References
- Smith, A.R., K.M. Pryer, E. Schuettpelz, P. Korall, H. Schneider & P.G. Wolf 2006. (420 KiB) Taxonomy 55(3): 705–731.
References
- "USDA Plants Database".
- Barrington, David S.. (1983). "Cibotium oregonense: An Eocene Tree-Fern Stem and Petioles with Internal Structure". American Journal of Botany.
- (2022). "An Open and Continuously Updated Fern Tree of Life". Frontiers in Plant Science.
- (2024). "Tree viewer: interactive visualization of FTOL".
- Barrington, D. (1993). Ecological and Historical Factors in Fern Biogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 20(3), 275-279. doi:10.2307/2845635
- Lim, T. K.. (2016). "Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants". Springer.
- Kathirithamby-Wells, Jeyamalar. (2005). "Nature and Nation: Forests and Development in Peninsular Malaysia". University of Hawaiʻi Press.
- (2004). "Tree Ferns". Timber Press.
- [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2252/who-invented-tampons Who invented tampons?] June 6, 2006 The Straight Dope
- (2014). "Trends and concepts in fern classification". Annals of Botany.
- "''Cibotium'' Kaulf". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- PPG I. (2016). "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns". Journal of Systematics and Evolution.
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