Gymnosphaera metteniana, synonyms Alsophila metteniana and Cyathea metteniana, is a species of tree fern native to the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, Taiwan, and southern China,[1] where it grows in wet forest, forest margins, and on hillsides. The trunk of this plant is erect, up to 1 m tall, and 6–10 cm in diameter. G. metteniana has tripinnate fronds that are 1–2.5 m long. The stipe is brown to purple-black in colouration. It is covered in long, broad-based scales that are usually bicoloured (glossy brown with a paler margin). Sori are round, lack indusia, and occur in two rows, one on either side of the pinnule midvein.[2]
The specific epithet metteniana commemorates pteridologist Georg Heinrich Mettenius (1823-1866), who named several Cyathea species.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Gymnosphaera metteniana (Hance) Tagawa. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b Large, Mark F. & Braggins, John E. (2004). Tree Ferns. Timber Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-88192-630-9.
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