Genus Cyathea Scientific name Cyathea arborea | Division Pteridophyta Subgenus Cyathea Higher classification Cyathea | |
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Similar Cyathea, Cyatheaceae, Cyathea delgadii, Cyathea cooperi, Cyathea corcovadensis | ||
Cyathea arborea (Vernacular English: West Indian treefern Vernacular Spanish: helecho gigante or palo camarón) is a plant of the Cyatheaceae family in the order of the Cyatheales.
The plant is native to the Caribbean, including Cuba, and the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico.
Description
This perennial fern can reach a height of 27 feet. It has a thornless trunk measuring from 3 to 5 inches. The surface of the trunk is hard with a soft, white core.
Its crown has 10 or more leaves in the form of a fan. When they are young, its leaves are rolled up and as they grow they unroll until they reach their horizontal position.
The members of the Cyatheaceae family reproduce from spores produced in small cup-shaped sporansia on the bottom side of their leaves.