Dicksonia gigantea H.Karst.

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

  • Family

    Dicksoniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Dicksonia gigantea H.Karst.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Stem to 5 m tall, 12-15 cm diam., apex with dark golden brown hairs; fronds 2-3 m long; stipe short, brown to stramineous but dark at base, spines lacking, hairs long (to 4-5 cm), golden brown; blade tripinnate to tripinnate-pinnatifid, coriaceous, primary pinnae to 70 cm long, 20 cm wide, smaller toward base of blade, essentially sessile, stalk less than 1 cm; veins free, hairs scattered on lower sides of axes (2-3 mm long), short hairs on upper costules; sori marginal, bivalvate, 1 mm long, paraphyses numerous, 1 mm long.

  • Discussion

    Type. Colombia. Andes of Bogotá, “montis Guadeloupe,” Karsten s.n. Dicksonia ghiesbreghtii Maxon, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 17: 155. 1913. Type. Mexico. Chiapas, Ghiesbreght 353 (US!; isotypes BM!, K!). Maxon (1913) separated D. ghiesbreghtii from D. gigantea on the basis of number of veins (78 vs. 5-6 pairs), and forking of the fertile veins (once- or twice-forked vs. simple or occasionally once-forked), but these may be expressions of plant size. Spore sculpturing of Mexican material seems to be lacking whereas Colombian material has irregular ridges and elongated bumps. More work is needed on this aspect of D. gigantea.

  • Distribution

    Cloud forests; Cuicatlán, Ixtlán, Mixe, Teotitlán; 1500-2450 m. Mexico (Gro, Hgo, Ver, Pue, Oax, Chis); Guat to Pan; Col.

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