Sphaeropteris

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Genus of ferns

title: "Sphaeropteris" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sphaeropteris", "fern-genera"] description: "Genus of ferns" topic_path: "general/sphaeropteris" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeropteris" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of ferns ::

| image = Blendys garden inferno ag.jpg | image_caption = Sphaeropteris cooperi in Blandys Garden, Madeira | taxon = Sphaeropteris | authority = Bernh. | type_species = Sphaeropteris medullaris | type_species_authority = (Forster) Bernh. | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms_ref = | synonyms =

  • Eatoniopteris J.Bommer
  • Fourniera J.Bommer
  • Schizocaena J.Sm.
  • Cyathea (Sphaeropteris) (Bernh.) Holttum ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Cyathea_RGBS.jpg" caption="''[[Sphaeropteris excelsa]]'' (syn. ''Cyathea brownii'') in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/CyatheaIntermedia.JPG" caption="''[[Sphaeropteris intermedia]]'' in habitat in [[New Caledonia"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Cyathea_medullaris.JPG" caption="''[[Sphaeropteris medullaris]]'' in [[Auckland]], New Zealand"] ::

Sphaeropteris is a genus of tree ferns in the family Cyatheaceae. It has been treated as a subgenus within the genus Cyathea, but is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).

Description

Species of Sphaeropteris have a treelike habit, usually with a single tall stem, and large fronds to 5 m or more in length. The stalk (stipe) of the frond is strawlike or purple in colour, with pale to brown scales. The sori (spore-bearing structures) are rounded, with or without indusia (covers).

Sphaeropteris is now separated from the other genera in the family Cyatheaceae primarily on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies. However, the scales on the stalks (petioles) provide a morphological distinction. Sphaeropteris has scales without distinct margins, whereas the other genera have scales with distinct margins.

Taxonomy

The genus Sphaeropteris was erected by Johann Jakob Bernhardi in 1801. It is placed in the family Cyatheaceae. The division of the family into genera has had a long and controversial history. Three or four clades have been suggested based on molecular phylogenetic studies. The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) accepts three genera, related as shown in the cladogram below. Sphaeropteris is sister to the remaining members of the family. |label1=Cyatheaceae |1={{clade |1=Sphaeropteris |2={{clade |1=Cyathea |2=Alsophila (including Gymnosphaera)

Older sources, such as the New Zealand Organisms Register , place Sphaeropteris within a very broadly defined Cyathea.

Phylogeny

, the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World accepted the following species:

::data[format=table]

Phylogeny of SphaeropterisOther species include:
1={{clade
::

Distribution and habitat

The native distribution of the genus Sphaeropteris extends from southern China down through eastern tropical Asia to New Zealand, with a separate area in Central America and north-western South America. Some species are also naturalized in Africa and western Australia.

Species of Sphaeropteris are large plants and require space to grow. They usually prefer less shaded conditions than species of Alsophila. They are found in rain forests and tropical montane forests, often in clearings or on the margins, from the canopy layer down to the understorey layer. They are also found in ravines, swamps and disturbed areas.

References

References

  1. (2022). "An Open and Continuously Updated Fern Tree of Life". Frontiers in Plant Science.
  2. (2024). "Tree viewer: interactive visualization of FTOL".
  3. (June 2019). "Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World".
  4. (1994 onwards-->). "Flora of China ''(online)''". eFloras.org.
  5. "''Sphaeropteris'' Bernh.". [[International Plant Names Index.
  6. (2007). "A molecular phylogeny of scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae)". American Journal of Botany.
  7. "Sphaeropteris Bernh.".
  8. "''Sphaeropteris'' Bernh.". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  9. PPG I. (2016). "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns". Journal of Systematics and Evolution.
  10. (2016). "The scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae-Polypodiopsida) of Brazil". Acta Botanica Brasilica.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

sphaeropterisfern-genera