Alsophila gigantea

Alsophila gigantea Wall. ex Hook., Sp. Fil. 1: 53 1844. (syn: Alsophila balakrishnanii (Dixit & Tripathi) Dixit; Alsophila helferiana Presl; Alsophila polycampta Kunze; Alsophila rheosora Christ; Alsophila umbrosa Wall. ex Ridl.; Cyathea balakrishnanii R. D. Dixit & A.K.Tripathi; Cyathea gigantea (Wall. ex Hook.) Holtt.; Cyathea pectinata Ching & S. H. Wu; Cyathea petiolulata Ching & S. H. Wu; Cyathea pseudogigantea Ching & S. H. Wu; Cyathea tinganensis Ching & S. H. Wu; Dichorexia gigantea (Wall. ex Hook.) Presl; Gymnosphaera gigantea (Wall. ex Hook.) J. Sm.; Polypodium giganteum Wall.; Polypodium umbrosum Wall.);
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Indian Subcontinent to W. Malesia: Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam as per POWO (Gymnosphaera gigantea (Wall. ex Hook.) S.Y.Dong);
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China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan), Sri Lanka, C-Sumatra, W-Java, peninsular Malaysia (Langkawi Isl., Penang, Perak), India (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam State, Chhatishgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal), Nepal, Myanmar [Burma], Thailand (widespread), Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Andaman Isl., Bhutan as per Catalogue of Life;
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Pachmari area of Satpura Tiger Reserve is a store house of many highly rare and endangered spices. More than hundred species of Pteridophyts are reported from the area. This area is known for the Satpura Hypothesis. Many Himalayan and Western Ghat’s species are found in the area. I have observed many plant & animal species, which are not found in Central India. I will post them in a series.
Recently Govt of India has decided to enclude Alosphila balkrishnani in the list of endengred species under Biodiversity Act.
I searched my old photographs and found a species looking like Alosphila balkrishnani. This is encluded in the Management Plan of Satpura tiger reserve as Cythia alosphila. I am enclosing the photogeraph, which i have taken from the Pachmari range of Satpura Tiger Reserve on 6.6.09

I think this is Alosphila balkrishnani, hope ID is correct. Experts please confirm.

It is Cyathea gigantea and it is common among Cyathea group tree fern.
Alsophila is the synonym of Cyathea.

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Alsophila from Satpura 291109 – NSD 110 – indiantreepix | Google Groups:
this tree fern sp is from Satpura Tiger Reserve
I think it is Alsophila may be Alsophila balakrishnanii (Dixit et Tripathi) Dixit.
(= Cyathea balakrishnanii Dixit et Tripathi)
Photographed on 1-11-09
Experts please confirm it or id otherwise

Yes you are right.

Alsophila balakrishnani is a synonym of Cyathea gigantea.
foto showing soral arrangement is very clear  and informational, but that of habitat is not.
Any way thanks for you effort.

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Alsophila sp. from Kamrup district, Assam:
Attached images are Alsophila sp. (Cyathea sp.). Please confirm the ID.

Date : 21.12.2012

Location: Kamrup district

Family : Cyatheaceae

Genus & species: Alsophila sp. (Cyathea sp.).

Habitat: Grows wild on hilly area

Cyathea gigantea

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Bhagamandala – Thalacauvery Road Karnataka
Date: 22 FEB 2017 … Altitude range: ~ 907 – 1122 m (2976 – 3683 ft) asl
Large fern …

Dear friends,
Not wanting to ask for species ID!
Will be glad to get some kind of ID to “any broader level” to replace the too common “fern” in my notes. 😊

Well since our dear old-timer, Linnaeus, reduced sentences to a binomial I can but follow him and inform you that this is Cyathea gigantea (or if you prefer to split genera, Alsophila gigantea), a common tree-fern throughout most of India. Perhaps unfortunately named as though it can develop a good tall trunk in very luxuriant and long-undisturbed conditions, it is probably more commonly not so tall, certainly not as tall as other full-grown species.
     The sori are usually in an attractive “inverted V” series underneath the pinnules and are exindusiate.  The stipes are darkish brown and bear many lanceolate brown scales with very narrow apices.
     The generally smaller and slightly less developed plants of peninsular India were named C. balakrishnanii by the late Dr. Dixit, and this is such a plant, but C. gigantea varies a bit wherever you get it, and alas, C. balakrishnanii must go the way of all good synonyms which were incompletely reseached.
    So, NOT for identification – but drat, sorry, I did so anyway!!

Thank you very much …, and many many thanks to …!!
Well, I was least expecting to get species ID of a fern, of which I have not captured any relevant aspects – I do not even know them!

 

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