Authority:

Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

Family:

Cyatheaceae

Description:

Species Description - Trunk to 6 m tall; stipe armed with sharp-pointed spines, light to medium brown, scales concolorous, brown; blade 2-3 m long, bipin-nate-pinnatifid, papyraceous; pinnae with 0.6-0.7 cm stalk, rachis and pinnae with sparse sharp spines; pinnules essentially sessile (1 mm stalk), apex acute to acuminate, slightly ascending, coarsely crenate to dentate, lobes densely hairy on rachis and pinna axes; upper surface densely short-hairy on pinnules, some hairs on segment midveins; lower surface with hairs and minute búllate scales; sori medial, receptacle pilose, indusium lacking.

Discussion:

Polypodium microdontum Desvaux, Berlin. Mag. 5:319. 1811. Alsophila microdonta (Desvaux) Desvaux, Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 319. 1827. Trichipteris microdonta (Desvaux) R. Tryon, Contr. Gray Herb. 200: 46. 1970. Type. “America australi?” (P!). Cyathea microdonta is distinguished by its slender, needlelike spines on the rachis and the secondary axes, whereas in other species of Cyathea with spines they are limited to the stipe.

Distribution:

Mexico North America| Brazil South America| Peru South America| Suriname South America| Colombia South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| West Indies| Jamaica South America| Cuba South America| Panama Central America| Guatemala Central America|