Alsophila australis: Difference between revisions
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'''''Alsophila australis''''', [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] '''''Cyathea australis''''',<ref name=CFLW/><ref name=POWO_17016010-1/> also known as the '''rough tree fern''', is a species of [[Cyatheales|tree fern]] native to southeastern [[Queensland]], [[New South Wales]] and southern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] in [[Australia]], as well as [[Tasmania]] and [[Norfolk Island]].<ref name=LargBrag04/> |
'''''Alsophila australis''''', [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] '''''Cyathea australis''''',<ref name=CFLW/><ref name=POWO_17016010-1/> also known as the '''rough tree fern''', is a species of [[Cyatheales|tree fern]] native to southeastern [[Queensland]], [[New South Wales]] and southern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] in [[Australia]], as well as [[Tasmania]] and [[Norfolk Island]].<ref name=LargBrag04/> |
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It was known as ''beeow-wang'' in [[Illawarra]] |
It was known as ''beeow-wang'' in [[Illawarra]], as ''pooeet'' at Corranderrk Station in Victoria, and as ''nanga-nanga'' in Queensland.<ref name="Maiden-1889-p6" /> |
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==Taxonomy== |
==Taxonomy== |
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''Alsophila australis'' was described in 1810 by [[Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)|Robert Brown]] from a specimen collected on [[King Island, Tasmania|King Island]] in [[Bass Strait]], off the coast of Tasmania. It is a member of the genus ''[[Alsophila (plant)|Alsophila]]''. The specific [[epithet]] ''australis'' means |
''Alsophila australis'' was described in 1810 by [[Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)|Robert Brown]] from a specimen collected on [[King Island, Tasmania|King Island]] in [[Bass Strait]], off the coast of Tasmania. It is a member of the genus ''[[Alsophila (plant)|Alsophila]]''. The specific [[epithet]] ''australis'' means 'southern' and refers to this southerly location.<ref name=LargBrag04/> |
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''Alsophila australis'' is a highly variable [[taxon]]. Individuals from the [[Norfolk Island]] subspecies, ''A. australis'' ssp. ''norfolkensis'', are larger and more robust, differing primarily in scale characteristics. The subspecies is rare in cultivation. Further study is needed to determine whether this [[taxon]] represents a separate species or not.<ref name=LargBrag04/> |
''Alsophila australis'' is a highly variable [[taxon]]. Individuals from the [[Norfolk Island]] subspecies, ''A. australis'' ssp. ''norfolkensis'', are larger and more robust, differing primarily in scale characteristics. The subspecies is rare in cultivation. Further study is needed to determine whether this [[taxon]] represents a separate species or not.<ref name=LargBrag04/> |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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[[File:Gardenology.org-IMG 0686 rbgs10dec.jpg|thumb|left|A specimen of ''A. australis'']] |
[[File:Gardenology.org-IMG 0686 rbgs10dec.jpg|thumb|left|A specimen of ''A. australis'']] |
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The massive erect trunk is usually up to 12 m tall, although specimens reaching 20 m have been reported from Queensland, Australia. [[Frond]]s are [[bipinnate|bi-]] or [[tripinnate]] and may reach 4 m in length, occasionally even 6 m. These form a distinctive crown that is dark green above and lighter green below. It has |
The massive erect trunk is usually up to 12 m tall, although specimens reaching 20 m have been reported from Queensland, Australia. [[Frond]]s are [[bipinnate|bi-]] or [[tripinnate]] and may reach 4 m in length, occasionally even 6 m. These form a distinctive crown that is dark green above and lighter green below. It has adventitious roots, tubercles and hair-like follicles on its 'trunk'.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2003/cyathea-spp.html | title=Cyathea australis, Cyathea cooperi - Growing Native Plants }}</ref> |
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Plants growing in southern Australia often lose their fronds by the end of winter, as is the case with ''[[Alsophila dregei]]'' in [[South Africa]]. Characteristically of this species, [[Stipe (botany)|stipe]] bases are often retained around the trunk long after withering. They are covered with [[scale (zoology)|scale]]s and conical, blunt spines towards the base. The scales range in colour from shiny brown to bicoloured (pale and brown) and are often distinctly twisted. The [[sorus|sori]] are circular and occur on either side of the fertile [[pinnule]] midvein. True [[indusium|indusia]] are absent, although reduced scales may encircle the sori. |
Plants growing in southern Australia often lose their fronds by the end of winter, as is the case with ''[[Alsophila dregei]]'' in [[South Africa]]. Characteristically of this species, [[Stipe (botany)|stipe]] bases are often retained around the trunk long after withering. They are covered with [[scale (zoology)|scale]]s and conical, blunt spines towards the base. The scales range in colour from shiny brown to bicoloured (pale and brown) and are often distinctly twisted. The [[sorus|sori]] are circular and occur on either side of the fertile [[pinnule]] midvein. True [[indusium|indusia]] are absent, although reduced scales may encircle the sori. |
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==Cultivation== |
==Cultivation== |
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''Alsophila australis'' is a robust tub plant and tolerant of salty winds. It is a popular cool climate hardy tree-fern, adaptable to a variety of climates and soils. It grows in moist shady forest, both coastal and montane, at an altitude |
''Alsophila australis'' is a robust tub plant and tolerant of salty winds. It is a popular cool climate hardy tree-fern, adaptable to a variety of climates and soils. It grows in moist shady forest, both coastal and montane, at an altitude up to {{cvt|1280|m|abbr=on}}, often in the company of ''[[Dicksonia antarctica]]''. It is a relatively hardy species and a popular landscape and container plant. Provided moisture levels remain high, it will tolerate frost and full sun, or shade in warmer regions. Although well known in its native country, this species is not common in cultivation outside of Australia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.angelfire.com/wa/margate/australis.html | title=Cyathea australis }}</ref> |
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==Horticulture== |
==Horticulture== |
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In the [[horticulture|horticultural]] trade, most plants labeled as ''Alsophila australis'' are in fact ''[[Sphaeropteris cooperi]]''. Much confusion has existed between the two, especially in the United States, despite the two species being quite distinct from one another. ''A. australis'' is relatively stout trunked and has a large number of closely spaced fronds emerging at one time, with a slower increase in trunk height. ''S. cooperi'' in contrast, grows more quickly with fewer fronds emerging each year and has a much narrower trunk, with the frond bases aligned vertically for some distance ( |
In the [[horticulture|horticultural]] trade, most plants labeled as ''Alsophila australis'' are in fact ''[[Sphaeropteris cooperi]]''. Much confusion has existed between the two, especially in the United States, despite the two species being quite distinct from one another. ''A. australis'' is relatively stout trunked and has a large number of closely spaced fronds emerging at one time, with a slower increase in trunk height. ''S. cooperi'' in contrast, grows more quickly with fewer fronds emerging each year and has a much narrower trunk, with the frond bases aligned vertically for some distance ('hugging' the trunk, as it were) before arching outwards. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Commons}} |
{{Commons category}} |
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{{Reflist|refs= |
{{Reflist|refs= |
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<ref name=CFLW>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last1=Hassler |first1=Michael |last2=Schmitt |first2=Bernd |date=June 2019 |contribution=Alsophila australis |title=Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World |volume=8 |issue=2 |url=https://worldplants.webarchiv.kit.edu/ferns/ |access-date=2019-08-23 |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=2017-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902225743/http://worldplants.webarchiv.kit.edu/ferns/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
<ref name=CFLW>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last1=Hassler |first1=Michael |last2=Schmitt |first2=Bernd |date=June 2019 |contribution=Alsophila australis |title=Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World |volume=8 |issue=2 |url=https://worldplants.webarchiv.kit.edu/ferns/ |access-date=2019-08-23 |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=2017-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902225743/http://worldplants.webarchiv.kit.edu/ferns/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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<ref name=LargBrag04>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last1=Large |
<ref name=LargBrag04>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last1=Large|first1=Mark F.|last2=Braggins|first2=John E. |author-link2=John E. Braggins|date=2004 |title=Tree Ferns |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-630-9 |name-list-style=amp |pages=[https://archive.org/details/treeferns00mark/page/101 101–102] |url=https://archive.org/details/treeferns00mark/page/101 }}</ref> |
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<ref name=POWO_17016010-1>{{cite web |title=''Alsophila australis'' R.Br. |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:17016010-1 |access-date=2019-08-23 }}</ref> |
<ref name=POWO_17016010-1>{{cite web |title=''Alsophila australis'' R.Br. |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:17016010-1 |access-date=2019-08-23 }}</ref> |
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}} |
}} |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035859/http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/isdb/Taxonomy/tax-species-result.cfm?habit=&displaylanguage=eng&Genus=%25Cyathea%25&source=plants&Species=australis&Country=&tabname=names UNEP-WCMC Species Database: ''Cyathea australis''] |
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035859/http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/isdb/Taxonomy/tax-species-result.cfm?habit=&displaylanguage=eng&Genus=%25Cyathea%25&source=plants&Species=australis&Country=&tabname=names UNEP-WCMC Species Database: ''Cyathea australis''] |
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*[ |
*[https://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/treeferns/australis.html Cold-Hardy Tree Ferns: ''Cyathea australis''] |
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{{Taxonbar|from1=Q17185344|from2=Q738235}} |
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q17185344|from2=Q738235}} |
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Latest revision as of 17:32, 7 October 2024
| Alsophila australis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Cyatheaceae |
| Genus: | Alsophila |
| Species: | A. australis
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| Binomial name | |
| Alsophila australis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Alsophila australis, synonym Cyathea australis,[1][2] also known as the rough tree fern, is a species of tree fern native to southeastern Queensland, New South Wales and southern Victoria in Australia, as well as Tasmania and Norfolk Island.[3]
It was known as beeow-wang in Illawarra, as pooeet at Corranderrk Station in Victoria, and as nanga-nanga in Queensland.[4]
Taxonomy
[edit]Alsophila australis was described in 1810 by Robert Brown from a specimen collected on King Island in Bass Strait, off the coast of Tasmania. It is a member of the genus Alsophila. The specific epithet australis means 'southern' and refers to this southerly location.[3]
Alsophila australis is a highly variable taxon. Individuals from the Norfolk Island subspecies, A. australis ssp. norfolkensis, are larger and more robust, differing primarily in scale characteristics. The subspecies is rare in cultivation. Further study is needed to determine whether this taxon represents a separate species or not.[3]
Description
[edit]
The massive erect trunk is usually up to 12 m tall, although specimens reaching 20 m have been reported from Queensland, Australia. Fronds are bi- or tripinnate and may reach 4 m in length, occasionally even 6 m. These form a distinctive crown that is dark green above and lighter green below. It has adventitious roots, tubercles and hair-like follicles on its 'trunk'.[5]
Plants growing in southern Australia often lose their fronds by the end of winter, as is the case with Alsophila dregei in South Africa. Characteristically of this species, stipe bases are often retained around the trunk long after withering. They are covered with scales and conical, blunt spines towards the base. The scales range in colour from shiny brown to bicoloured (pale and brown) and are often distinctly twisted. The sori are circular and occur on either side of the fertile pinnule midvein. True indusia are absent, although reduced scales may encircle the sori.
In its montane range, A. australis is ecologically important as it provides the nesting substrate for Exoneura robusta, a native species of reed bee. These bees almost exclusively build their nests in the pith of dead A. australis fronds.[6] This species of bee is an important pollinator of other plants in southeastern Australia, so thus it can be seen how A. australis is indirectly supportive of other plants in its ecosystem.
Traditional use
[edit]Joseph Maiden recorded in 1889 that "The pulp of the top of the trunk is full of starch, and is eaten raw and roasted by the aboriginals. This whitish substance is found in the middle of the tree from the base to the apex, and when boiled tastes like a bad turnip. Pigs feed on it greedily."[4]
Cultivation
[edit]Alsophila australis is a robust tub plant and tolerant of salty winds. It is a popular cool climate hardy tree-fern, adaptable to a variety of climates and soils. It grows in moist shady forest, both coastal and montane, at an altitude up to 1,280 m (4,200 ft), often in the company of Dicksonia antarctica. It is a relatively hardy species and a popular landscape and container plant. Provided moisture levels remain high, it will tolerate frost and full sun, or shade in warmer regions. Although well known in its native country, this species is not common in cultivation outside of Australia.[7]
Horticulture
[edit]In the horticultural trade, most plants labeled as Alsophila australis are in fact Sphaeropteris cooperi. Much confusion has existed between the two, especially in the United States, despite the two species being quite distinct from one another. A. australis is relatively stout trunked and has a large number of closely spaced fronds emerging at one time, with a slower increase in trunk height. S. cooperi in contrast, grows more quickly with fewer fronds emerging each year and has a much narrower trunk, with the frond bases aligned vertically for some distance ('hugging' the trunk, as it were) before arching outwards.
References
[edit]
- ^ a b Hassler, Michael & Schmitt, Bernd (June 2019). "Alsophila australis". Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. Vol. 8. Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
- ^ a b "Alsophila australis R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
- ^ a b c Large, Mark F. & Braggins, John E. (2004). Tree Ferns. Timber Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-0-88192-630-9.
- ^ a b Maiden, J. H. (1889). The Useful Native Plants of Australia (including Tasmania). Sydney: Turner and Henderson. p. 6.
- ^ "Cyathea australis, Cyathea cooperi - Growing Native Plants".
- ^ Cronin, Adam L. "Social flexibility in a primitively social allodapine bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae): results of a translocation experiment." Oikos 94.2 (2001): 337–343.
- ^ "Cyathea australis".