Kingdom Plantae Class Pteridopsida Family Cyatheaceae Rank Species | Division Pteridophyta Order Cyatheales Genus Cyathea | |
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Similar Cyathea excelsa, Cyathea glauca, Gaertnera vaginata, Nuxia verticillata, Geniostoma borbonicum | ||
Cyathea borbonica is a tree fern endemic to Mauritius, Réunion and the islands of the south-western Indian Ocean.
It reaches a height of roughly 2 meters, with a dark, hairy, scaly trunk. Its spreading leaves are dark green fronds. There are several natural forms and varieties.
Mauritian forms and distribution
In Mauritius, the species occurs mainly in the upland forest in the higher parts of the island. The two natural Mauritian varieties are:
Both varieties are endangered in Mauritius. They share the island with several other tree ferns - the naturally occurring Mauritian species Cyathea grangaudiana and Cyathea excelsa - and the alien non-indigenous Cyathea cooperi which is introduced from its native Australia.
References
Cyathea borbonica Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA