| Alsophila spinulosa | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Cyatheaceae |
| Genus: | Alsophila |
| Species: | A. spinulosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Alsophila spinulosa (Wall. ex Hook.) R.M.Tryon | |
| Synonyms | |
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Alsophila spinulosa, also known as the flying spider-monkey tree fern, is a species of tree fern in the family Cyatheaceae.
Description
The trunk of this species can grow to a height of 5 m or more. The stipes are persistent, spiny and purplish towards the base, and covered in brown shiny scales. Fronds are 1–3 m long and three-limbed. The sori, producing the spores, are large and round. Like many tree ferns, it features a "skirt" of dead leaves that do not drop off the crown and form a barrier for parasitic climbing plants.
Distribution and habitat
A. spinulosa occurs in humus soils in shadowed forest locations, and is widely distributed across Asia including China, Nepal, India, Burma, Myanmar, and Japan.
Use by humans
The stems are rich in starch and edible. Stem chips also see use as fern chips as a substrate for the cultivation of orchids.
Genome
In May 2022, the genome of A. spinulosa, was sequenced by Huang et al. and showed whole-genome duplication had occurred approximately 100 million years ago; since then, evidence of the sequencing suggests, the genome has remained stable. It was only the third time a fern's entire genome had been entirely mapped, and the first instance of a fern with a genome of this size being sequenced.
Gallery
References
- ^ Hassler, Michael & Schmitt, Bernd (June 2019). "Alsophila spinulosa". Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. Vol. 8. Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
- ^ T. C. Huang, ed. (1994). Flora of Taiwan. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Taipei: Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan. p. 148.
- "Cyathea spinulosa Wall". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
- Huang, Xiong; Wang, Wenling; Gong, Ting; Wickell, David; Kuo, Li-Yaung; Zhang, Xingtan; Wen, Jialong; Kim, Hoon; Lu, Fachuang; Zhao, Hansheng; Chen, Song; Li, Hui; Wu, Wenqi; Yu, Changjiang; Chen, Su (May 2022). "The flying spider-monkey tree fern genome provides insights into fern evolution and arborescence". Nature Plants. 8 (5): 500–512. doi:10.1038/s41477-022-01146-6. ISSN 2055-0278. PMC 9122828. PMID 35534720. S2CID 248668428.
- Whang, Oliver (2022-09-12). "Cracking the Case of the Giant Fern Genome". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
External links
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Alsophila spinulosa | |
| Cyathea spinulosa | |