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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
4. Cyathea, Smith
4. Cyathea, Smith.
Tree-ferns, the New Zealand species with a trunk or caudex varying from 10–50 ft. or even more. Fronds very large, usually 2–3-pinnate, very rarely (in species not found in New Zealand) pinnate or undivided. Stipes often muricate or aculeate. Sori dorsal, globose, situated upon a vein or at the fork of a vein; receptacle elevated, globose or elongated. Indusium globose, at first covering the whole sorus, but soon bursting at the summit, often in an irregular manner, usually persistent as a cup surrounding the base of the sorus, its margin entire or laciniate. Sporangia numerous, sessile or nearly so, often mixed with jointed hairs, bursting transversely ring somewhat oblique, usually complete.
A large and beautiful genus of over 120 species, most plentiful in damp tropical or subtropical regions, unknown in the north temperate zone. It attains its southern limit in New Zealand. Of the 4 species found therein, 2 appear to be endemic; the remaining 2 extend to Australia or the Pacific islands.
* Under-surface of frond white.
Trunk 10–30 ft. Fronds 6–12 ft.; stipes and rhachispage 948
clothed with yellowish-brown deciduous tomentum 1. C. dealbata. ** Under-surface of frond green.
Trunk 20–50 ft. Fronds 8–20 ft., coriaceous stipes and rhacbis conspicuously muricate beneath. Fertile segments lobulate or pinnatifid 2. C. medullaris. Trunk 20–40 ft. Fronds 6–18 ft., not so coriaceous stipes and rbachis rough but hardly muricate, clothed with yellow-brown tomentum. Fertile segments obscurely serrate, not lobulate 3. C. Milnei. Trunk 8–20 ft. Fronds 6–10 ft., almost membranous; stipes and rhachis slightly asperous, clothed with strigose hairs above. Fertile segments lobulate or pinnatifid 4. C. Cunninghamii.
| 1. | C. dealbata,Swarcz, Syn. Fil. 140, 356.—Trunk 10–30 ft. high, seldom more, 9–18 in. diam. at thebase, clothed above the middle with the short light-brown bases of the old stipites. Fronds numerous, horizontally spreading, 6–12 ft. long, 2–1 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, subcoriaceous, greenoryellow-green above, pure-white beneath from a coating of deciduous powder. Stipes rather slender slightly asperous, clothedat the base with shiningdark-brown linear scales, elsewhere (together with the rhachis and costæ) more or less covered with yellow-brown deciduous tomentum, becoming almost glabrouswhen old. Primary pinnæ 1–1½ ft. long, oblong, acuminate;secondary 2–4 in., linear-lanceolate, acuminate or almostcaudate, deeply pinnatifidorpinnatetowards thebase. Segmentsorpinnules¼–½in. long, linear-oblong, acuteorsubacute, more or less falcate, serrate. Sori small, globose, copious but often confined to the lower half of the segments. Indusium small, membranous, only covering the sorus in a very early stage persistent at the base as a shallow cup.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 77' t. 10; A_. Cunn. Precur. n. 226; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fit i. 27 Book. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 7 Handb. N.Z. FL 349 Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fit. 26Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 28Field, N.Z. Ferns, 45,. t. 10, f. 2.C. tricolor,Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv.(1883) 304.' (?)Hemitelia falciloba, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 394. Polypodium dealbatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 454.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands Abundant in woods from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Ponga; Silver Tree-fern. Perhaps the most generally distributed of the New Zealand tree-ferns. It can usually be identified at a glance by the milk-white under-surface of the fronds, although individual specimens are occasionally seen in which the under-surface is obscurely glaucous or even quite green. Very young plants are always green beneath; the white first appearing in irregular patches, giving the under-surface a curious piebald appearance. Outside New Zealand it occurs in Lord Howe Island, and a barren plant collected at Penang is assumed to be the same. |
| 2. | C. medullaris,Swartz, Syn. Fil. 140, 366.—Trunk 20–50 ft. high or even more, in old plants furnished at the base with a hard and thick conical buttress formed of densely compacted aerial root-page 949lets, sometimes extending for several feet up the trunk, and 1–2½ ft. diam. at the foot; trunk proper rather slender for its height, black, marked with the hexagonal scars of the old stipites, and at the very top rough with the remains of the stipites. Fronds numerous, 20–30, curving, 8–20 ft. long, 3–5 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, coriaceous, dark-green above, paler beneath. Stipes stout, clothed at the base with copious black linear scales, and together with the rhachis more or less covered with scattered tubercles. Primary pinnæ 1½—3 ft. long, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 4–6 in. long, ¾—1–½ in. broad, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, acuminate, pinnate below, pinnatifid above, costæ more or less clothed with tawny silky hairs or glabrous. Pinnules or segments about ½ in. long, 1/10–⅛ in. broad, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse, falcate the fertile ones deeply crenate-serrate or lobulate, sometimes pinnatifid; the barren ones broader, crenate-serrate or almost entire; costules usually with pale ciliated scales beneath. Sori very numerous, one to each lobe of the pinnule. Indusium brown, membranous, splitting into 2–4 irregular lobes.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 78; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 227 Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 26; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 7 Handb. N.Z. Fl. 349; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 25; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 28; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 42, t. 9, f. 3. C. poly-neuron, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xi. (1879) 429. Polypodium medullare, Forst. Prodr. n. 452 Pl. Fscul. 74.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands From the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards, abundant, except in the east of Canterbury and Otago. Sea level to 2000 ft. Korau; Mamaku; Black Tree-fern. Apparently the same species occurs in south-east Australia, Tasmania, and in several of the Pacific islands. Colenso's C. polyneuron, separated by him chiefly on account of the more numerous veinlets, hardly seems to be entitled to the rank of a variety. The mucilaginous pith of the trunk and lower part of the stipes was formerly baked and eaten by the Maoris, and was considered to be an excellent article of food. |
| 3. | C. Milnei,Hook, ex Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 349.—Trunk tall, 20–40 ft. high, 1 ft. in diam. at the base. Fronds numerous, 6–18 ft. long, 2–4 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, not so coriaceous as in C. medullaris, dark-green above, paler beneath. Stipes stout, clothed at the base with copious linear scales, slightly asperous on the under-surface, more or less covered, as are the rhachides and costæ, with yellowish-brown deciduous wool. intermixed with membranous scales. Primary pinnæ 1½–2½ ft. long, 6–10 in. wide, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 3–5 in. long, about fin. broad, linear-oblong, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid. Segments ⅓–½ in. long, oblong, obtuse, falcate, obscurely crenate-serrate, margins slightly recurved, under-surface often scaly-pubescent. Sori copious, ratherlarge, nearer thecostulethanthemargin. page 950Indusium membranous, splitting irregularly, persistent at the base of the sorus as a shallow cup with lacerate margins.—Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 26.
Kermadec Islands Sunday Island, abundant from sea-level to the tops of the highest hills, alt. 1700 ft. A noble species, allied to C. medullaris, but sufficiently distinct in the more membranous fronds, in the stipes and rhachis not being conspicuously muricate and densely clothed on both sides with yellowish-brown deciduous wool, and in the fertile segments being much less coarsely serrate. |
| 4. | C. Cunninghamii,Hook, f. in Hook. Ic. Plant, t. 985.—Trunk 8–20 ft. high, rarely more, often coated at the base with densely compacted aerial rootlets, upper part covered with the pendent withered fronds. Fronds numerous, 20–30, 6–10 ft. long, 2–4 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, subcoriaceous or almost membranous, flaccid, dark-green above, paler beneath. Stipes rather slender, dark-coloured at the very base, and furnished with numerous linear scales, elsewhere pale, and together with the rhachis slightly tubercled, more or less covered, especially on the upper surface, with pale yellowish-brown woolly or strigose tomentum. Primary pinnæ 1–2 ft. long, 4–6 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 2–4 in. long, about ¾ in. broad, linear-oblong, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid above, pinnate below. Segments or pinnules ⅓–½ in. long, linear, obtuse, regularly lobulate or pinnatifid lobules entire veins forked. Sori copious, one to each lobe of the pinnule, rather nearer the costa than the margin. Indusium brown, membranous, at first covering the sorus, splitting up very irregularly, sometimes leaving an unequal-sided cup with lacerate edges, at other times a single lobe on one side as in Hemitelia.—Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 7 Handb, N.Z. Fl. 350; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 25 Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 29 Field, N.Z. Ferns, 44, t. 9, f. 1, 2.
North Island Auckland—Bay of Islands, Cunningham, Miss Clarke!Whangarei, T. F. C. Great Barrier Island, Kirk;Waitakerei and Hunua, T. F. C.Wellington—Hutt Valley, Ralph, Buchanan.South Island Nelson—Bateman's Gully, D. Grant! Chatham Islands H. H. Travers! Miss Secldon!Sea-level to 1500 ft. Best distinguished from C. medullaris, to which it is closely allied, by the smaller size, more membranous fronds, paler and much less muricate stipes and rhachis, which are more or less clothed with yellowish strigose hairs, and by the smaller segments and sori. |