Alsophila australis

Cyatheaceae

Alsophila australis R.Br.

Link to Australian Plant Name Index for publication details and synonyms: https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/83377

Rhizome to c. 12 m tall, 15–40 cm diam., sometimes up to 1.5 m at base. Stipe to 80 cm long; stipe bases with conical spines to 3 mm long, covered with glossy brown scales; scales 2–5 cm long, 1.2–5 mm wide at base, with narrow fragile margins and an apical seta. Frond lamina to 3.5 m long; largest pinnae c. 50 cm long; a few pairs of lower pinnae progressively reduced, extending sometimes nearly to the base of the stipe (most commonly in QLD); pinnules 10–12 cm long, to 2.5 cm wide, with 1 or more pairs of lobes near base separately attached to costa; lobes ±crenate, some lower ones deeply so; veins mostly forked; larger costal scales flat, elongate, brownish, grading to thin flat ±hyaline scales and to small bullate pale tan scales with setose apices; slender crinkled hairs present on costae and costules. Sori at the forks of veins, exindusiate, with irregularly-shaped small scales around receptacle; paraphyses ±same length as sporangia.

Endemic to SE Australia with one record from NE QLD.

Terrestrial on the margin between rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.