Keys to the Species of Cyathea in Asia KEY TO THE SUBDIVISION OF THE GENUS CYATHEA IN ASIA Stipe-scales flabelloid, consisting of a median band of elongate thick-walled (usually very dark brown) cells, with fragile (often abraded) margins of shorter thin-walled cells spreading fan-wise outwards and sometimes bearing rather long flexuous thick-walled setae .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   Subgen. CYATHEA    Sori indusiate (indusium sometimes hidden by mature sorus) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   Sect. Cyathea    Sori without indusia .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   Sect. Gymnosphaera Stipe-scales setiferous, consisting entirely of uniform elongate cells (usually rather pale) with regular short oblique dark or concolorous setae along the edges .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   Subgen. SPHAEROPTERIS BANGLADESH (2 species) Sect. Gymnosphaera .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea Subgen. Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. brunoniana BHUTAN (3 species) Sect. Cyathea Lower surface of pinna-rachis (at least in distal half) and costae bearing hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis Lower surface of pinna-rachis and costae lacking hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. andersonii BURMA (7 species) Sect. Cyathea Lower surface of pinna-rachis (at least in distal half) and costae bearing hairs     Hairs present also on lower surface of costules .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis     Hairs lacking on lower surface of costules .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. borneensis Lower surface of pinna-rachis and costae lacking hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Basal basiscopic vein often from costa, not from costule .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea Basal basiscopic vein from costule, not from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. khasyana Subgen. Sphaeropteris Stipe and rachis spiny (except towards apex of frond) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. contaminans Stipe and rachis smooth throughout .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. brunoniana CAMBODIA (3 species) Sect. Cyathea Indusium not entirely covered by base of sorus; paraphyses not longer than sporangia .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. borneensis Indusium entirely covered by base of mature sorus; paraphyses longer than sporangia .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. latebrosa Sect. Gymnosphaera .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla CHINA (7 species) Sect. Cyathea Lower surface of pinna-rachis (at least in distal half) and costae bearing hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis Lower surface of pinna-rachis and costae lacking hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Lower surface of costae and costules hairy throughout .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. andersonii Lower surface of costae and costules not hairy, or with a few hairs distally     Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla     Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply        Basal basiscopic vein often from costa, not from costule           Pinnules commonly to 10 cm. long, 1.5-1.8 cm. wide; veins 6-7 pairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea           Pinnules commonly to 12 cm. long, 2.5 cm. wide; veins to 10 pairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. henryi        Basal basiscopic vein from costule, not from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. metteniana HAINAN (4 species) Sect. Cyathea .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. latebrosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea Subgen. Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. hainanensis HONG KONG (3 species) Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. hancockii Subgen. Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   *C. lepifera INDIA (10 species) Sect. Cyathea Lower surface of pinna-rachis (at least in distal half) and costae bearing hairs     Hairs also present on lower surface of costules .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis     Hairs lacking on lower surface of costules .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. nilgirensis Lower surface of pinna-rachis and costae lacking hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Lower surface of costae and costules hairy throughout .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. andersonii Lower surface of costae and costules not hairy, or with a few hairs distally     Basal basiscopic vein often from costa, not from costule        Pinnules commonly to 10 cm. long, 1.5-1.8 cm. wide; veins 6-7 pairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea        Pinnules commonly to 12 cm. long, 2.5 cm. wide; veins to 10 pairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. henryi     Basal basiscopic vein from costule, not from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. khasyana Subgen. Sphaeropteris Scales on costules bullate .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. crinita Scales on costules not bullate     Stipe and rachis spiny (except towards apex of frond) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. contaminans     Stipe and rachis smooth throughout .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. brunoniana JAPAN (7 species) Sect. Cyathea .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply     Largest pinnules lobed to 1 mm. or less from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. hancockii     Largest pinnules lobed to 2-4 mm. from costa        Scales near base of costae narrow with long flexuous apical seta but no lateral setae; stout hairs usually present on distal part of lower surface of costae .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. metteniana        Scales near base of costae with short apical seta and 1 or 2 lateral ones; no hairs distally on lower surface of costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. ogurae Subgen. Sphaeropteris Scales on costules bullate .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. mertensiana Scales on costules not bullate .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. lepifera LAOS (3 species) Sect. Cyathea .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea NEPAL (3 species) Sect. Cyathea Lower surface of pinna-rachis (at least in distal half) and costae bearing hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis Lower surface of pinna-rachis and costae lacking hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea SRI  LANKA (5 species) Sect. Cyathea Fronds simple or simply pinnate; indusium irregularly cup-shaped at maturity     Fronds simple .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. sinuata     Fronds simply pinnate .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. hookeri Fronds bipinnate; indusium attached only on costular side of receptacle, usually reflexed against costule or hidden by sorus at maturity (sometimes saucer-shaped) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. walkerae Sect. Gymnosphaera .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea Subgen. Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. crinita TAIWAN (6 species) Sect. Cyathea Indusium rather large, firm and brown, breaking but not reflexed against costule at maturity .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. loheri Indusium distinctly reflexed against costule at maturity .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply     Largest pinnules lobed to 1 mm. or less from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. hancockii     Largest pinnules lobed to 2-4 mm. from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. metteniana Subgen. Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. lepifera THAILAND (6 species) Sect. Cyathea Indusium not entirely covered by base of sorus; paraphyses not longer than sporangia     Lower surface of pinna-rachis (at least in distal half) and costae bearing hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. borneensis     Lower surface of pinna-rachis and costae lacking hairs .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. spinulosa Indusium entirely covered by base of mature sorus; paraphyses longer than sporangia .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. latebrosa Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea Subgen.  Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. contaminans VIETNAM (5 species) Sect. Cyathea .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. chinensis Sect. Gymnosphaera Pinnules lobed less than ½ way to costa (usually not more than ¼ distance from edge to costa) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. podophylla Pinnules of well-grown plants lobed at least ½ way to costa, in most cases more deeply     Basal basiscopic vein often from costa, not from costule .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. gigantea     Basal basiscopic vein from costule, not from costa .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. salletii Subgen. Sphaeropteris .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   C. brunoniana