Sphaeropteris robusta

Sphaeropteris robusta, synonym Cyathea robusta,^[1][2] is a fern in the family Cyatheaceae. The specific epithet alludes to its robust habit.^[3]

Sphaeropteris robusta
Young plant in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Cyatheales
Family:	Cyatheaceae
Genus:	Sphaeropteris
Species:	S. robusta
Binomial name
Sphaeropteris robusta (C.Moore ex Watts) R.M Tryon[1]
Synonyms[1]
Alsophila robusta C.Moore ex Watts Cyathea robusta (C.Moore ex Maiden) Holttum Alsophila robusta var. norfolkiana Laing

Description

Trunk with stipes and young frond croziers

The plant is a treefern with a trunk growing up to 5 m in height; the stipe bases are variably persistent, with the lower trunk often clear with roundish scars.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

The fern is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, where it has a scattered distribution through the southern mountains of the island at low to medium elevations.^[3] It is widespread in cultivation outside its natural range.