Dicksonia sellowiana
Dicksonia sellowiana, the xaxim, or samambaiaçu or imperial samambaiaçu, is an arborescent fern in the family Dicksoniaceae, native to the tropical Americas.
Dicksonia sellowiana | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Class: | Polypodiopsida |
Order: | Cyatheales |
Family: | Dicksoniaceae |
Genus: | Dicksonia |
Species: | D. sellowiana |
Binomial name | |
Dicksonia sellowiana | |
Distribution
The fern is native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America.
In the South American Atlantic Forest biome, it is found in: Southeastern Brazil within in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul; in northeast of Argentina within Misiones Province; and within eastern Paraguay.
Description
Dicksonia sellowiana has an erect and cilindric caudex, reaching sometimes more than 10 metres (33 ft) high, the fronds are bipinnate and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long. Due to illegal extraction, the species is at risk of extinction.
Varieties
Dicksonia sellowiana is variable in its form. Variations are sometimes treated as separate varieties, which include:[1]
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. ghiesbreghtii
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. gigantea
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. karsteniana
- Dicksonia sellowiana var. lobulata
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2011-08-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)