Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.
Cyatheaceae
Species Description - Caudex to 10 (rarely 15) m tall, usually without spines, densely clothed toward apex with whitish or creamy, papery scales up to 4 cm long. Fronds deciduous, leaving regular oval scars on the caudex; stipes relatively short (25-60 cm long), yellowish, minutely scurfy when young, usually more or less roughened-tuberculate with minute blunt projections but not armed with spines, densely clothed toward base with deciduous, whitish or creamy (rarely brownish or bicolorous), lanceto narrowly ovate-attenuate scales. Blades ovate, 2-3.5 m long, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, acuminate at apex, slightly reduced at base, essentially glabrous, the tissue light green and of rather heavy texture; rhachis slightly muriculate, glabrescent; pinnae altemate, 40-80 cm long, 15-35 cm broad, Stalked; pinnules lance-oblong to elliptic-lanceolate, mostly 1.5-2 cm broad, attenuate at apex, all but the lowest sessile; segments usually 25-32 pairs, narrowly oblong-subfalcate, 2-5 mm broad, dilated at base, the margin senate; midveins with one or two deciduous, white, bullate scales at base on abaxial side; veins 10-14 pairs, 1- to 3-forked. Sori usually 6-11 pairs per fertile segment, inframedial, their position marked by pits on adaxial surface; indusium saucer-shaped, firm, persistent; receptacles clavate to capitate; paraphyses a mixture of acicular hairs and shorter, capitate-glandular ones.
Distribution and Ecology - General Distribution. Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles, and northernmost Colombia; a report from Venezuela has not been confirmed. Distribution in Puerto Rico. Occurs almost throughout the island except in very dry areas; recorded from Adjuntas, Arecibo, Barranquitas, Caguas, Cayey, Fajardo, Lares, Las Marias, Maricao, Mayagñez, Naguabo, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rio Grande, San Lorenzo, San Juan, Utuado, and Yabucoa; undoubtedly occurs in many other municipios, particularly in the mountains. Virgin Islands. Recorded from St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. Habitat. Moist clearings, open banks, hillsides and landslide areas, and secondary moist forest glades at low to high elevations (50-1250 m), common.
Basionym, Polypodium arboreum Linnaeus, Sp. pl.2: 1092. 1753.
Type. Plumier, Traite foug. Amer., t. 1, in part, and t. 2, based on material from Morne de la Calebasse, Martinique. (Authentic specimens collected by Plumier exist: Herb. Surian 562 and 754, P.)
Syn, Cyathea serra Willdenow in Linnaeus, Sp, pl. 5: 491. 1810. (Type. Bredemeyer, allegedly from Caracas, Venezuela, Herb. Willd. 20169, B, photo GH.) R. Tryon (1976) questions the origin of this specimen, and states that the species does not occur in Venezuela.
Hemitelia serra (Willdenow) Desv., Mem. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 221. 1827.
Disphenia arborea (Linnaeus) K. Presl, Tent, pterid. 56. 1836.
Hemitelia arborea (Linnaeus) Fee, Mem. foug. 5: 350. 1852.
Cormophyllum arboreum (Linnaeus) Newman, Phytologist 5: 238. 1854.