Cyathea albomarginata

Cyathea albomarginata is a species of tree fern native to Panamá and Costa Rica. It grows in wet forests at elevations of 2400-2800 m, considerably higher than most other tree ferns of Central America. The epithet "albomarginata" means "white-margined," referring the coloration of the petiole scales, unique among known species of the genus.

Cyathea albomarginata is a small tree with a trunk up to 50 cm tall. Petiole purplish-brown with white margins, scaly but not spiny; scales (= modified appendages attached to the margins of the petioles) bicolored, dark purple in the center but white along the margins; dead scales appearing totally white. Leaves bipinnate; pinnulae 10-12 cm long.