Cyathea leichhardtiana     

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:        Monilophytes > Cyatheales > Cyatheaceae > Cyathea  leichhardtiana

Other links:    

Plant  information

Common name:         Prickly Tree-fern

Conservation status: . . .

Etymology:   

• It was named in honour of the explorer and botanical collector Ludwig Leichhardt

Spores:                            

• The sori lack true indusia

• The base of the sorus bears a ring of scales

Leaves:         

• Fronds are up to 3 m long, and the stipe is around 20 cm in length

Stem & branches: 

• Seen between one and seven metres tall

• It may be identified by the thin, prickly trunk, 5 to 15 cm wide

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Tree fern 

Habitat:   

• It is a common species found in moist situations, in and near rainforests

Distribution:                  

• Eastern Australia  - Victoria, NSW and Queensland

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • It was first described in 1865 by Ferdinand von Mueller as Alsophila leichhardtiana from several specimens, one of which was collected by Ludwig Leichhardt in Moreton Bay, and another by Louisa Atkinson in the Blue Mountains

  •  It was named and described many times

  • In 1912, Edwin Copeland transferred the species to Cyathea as Cyathea leichhardtiana

  • It has since been restored to Alsophila

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeropteris_australis (2023)