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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Cyatheaceae
| image = Rainforest near Belle - Dominica.jpg
| image_caption =
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Pteridophyta]]
| classis = [[Pteridopsida]]
| ordo = [[Cyatheales]]
| familia = '''Cyatheaceae'''
| familia_authority = [[Georg Friedrich Kaulfuss|Kaulfuss]], 1827
| subdivision_ranks = [[Genus|Genera]]
| subdivision =
''[[Cnemidaria]]''<br>
''[[Cyathea]]''<br>
''[[× Cyathidaria]]''<br>
†''[[Alsophilocaulis]]''<br>
†''[[Cibotiocaulis]]''<br>
†''[[Cyatheocaulis]]''<br>
†''[[Oguracaulis]]''
| synonyms =
*Alsophilaceae <small>Presl, 1847</small>
}}
The '''Cyatheaceae''' is a family of [[fern]] that includes the world's tallest [[tree fern]]s, which reach heights up to 20 m. They are also very ancient plants, appearing in the [[fossil]] record in the late [[Jurassic]], though the modern [[genus|genera]] likely appeared in the [[Tertiary]].
All Cyatheaceae have scales instead of hairs, which are common in members of the family [[Dicksoniaceae]]. Their fronds are also very large, some of the largest in the plant kingdom. Some species have fronds reaching 3-4 m in length, and have a final crown width of some 6 m. The [[Sorus|sori]] (spore clusters) also occur away from the margins of the pinnules (individual [[Leaf|leaves]]), and are elongate or rounded.
Most Cyatheaceae are terrestrial, with one sometimes being [[Epiphyte|epiphytic]] and others having a creeping habit, but these are exceptions to the family norm.
Since the exact number of species is not known, classification of the Cyatheaceae has had a long and controversial history, and is still undergoing revision. Three tentative ''[[clade]]s'' have been developed: '' Alsophila'', ''Cyathea'', and ''Sphaeropteris''. These are frequently used as genus names. There is one additional genus, ''Cnemidaria''. It is likely that in time the ''Cyathea'' will be split into additional genera.
==References==
* Braggins, John E. and Large, Mark F. ''Tree Ferns''. Timber Press (2004). ISBN 0-88192-630-2
{{commonscat}}
[[Category:Cyatheaceae]]
[[Category:Plant families]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = Cyatheaceae
| image = Rainforest near Belle - Dominica.jpg
| image_caption =
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Pteridophyta]]
| classis = [[Pteridopsida]]
| ordo = [[Cyatheales]]
| familia = '''Cyatheaceae'''
| familia_authority = [[Georg Friedrich Kaulfuss|Kaulfuss]], 1827
| subdivision_ranks = [[Genus|Genera]]
| subdivision =
''[[Cnemidaria]]''<br>
''[[Cyathea]]''<br>
''[[× Cyathidaria]]''<br>
†''[[Alsophilocaulis]]''<br>
†''[[Cibotiocaulis]]''<br>
†''[[Cyatheocaulis]]''<br>
†''[[Oguracaulis]]''
| synonyms =
*Alsophilaceae <small>Presl, 1847</small>
}}
The '''Cyatheaceae''' is a family of [[fern]] that includes the world's tallest [[tree fern]]s, which reach heights up to 20 m. They are also very ancient plants, appearing in the [[fossil]] record in the late [[Jurassic]], though the modern [[genus|genera]] likely appeared in the [[Tertiary]].
All Cyatheaceae have scales instead of hairs, which are common in members of the family [[Dicksoniaceae]]. Their fronds are also very large, some of the largest in the plant kingdom. Some species have fronds reaching 3-4 m in length, and have a final crown width of some 6 m. The [[Sorus|sori]] (spore clusters) also occur away from the margins of the pinnules (individual [[Leaf|leaves]]), and are elongate or rounded.
Most Cyatheaceae are terrestrial, with one sometimes being [[Epiphyte|epiphytic]] and others having a creeping habit, but these are exceptions to the family norm.
Since the exact number of species is not known, classification of the Cyatheaceae has had a long and controversial history, and is still undergoing revision. Three tentative ''[[clade]]s'' have been developed: '' Alsophila'', ''Cyathea'', and ''Sphaeropteris''. These are frequently used as genus names. There is one additional genus, ''Cnemidaria''. It is likely that in time the ''Cyathea'' will be split into additional genera.
==References==
* Braggins, John E. and Large, Mark F. ''Tree Ferns''. Timber Press (2004). ISBN 0-88192-630-2
{{commonscat}}
[[Category:Cyatheaceae]]
[[Category:Plant families]]
