About Cyathea arborea (L.) Sm.
Cyathea arborea (L.) Sm. is a perennial tree fern. This species can grow up to 27 feet tall, with a thornless trunk that measures 3 to 5 inches in diameter. The trunk has a hard outer surface and a soft, white inner core. Its crown holds 10 or more fan-shaped leaves. Young leaves of Cyathea arborea are tightly rolled, and unroll as they mature until they lie in a horizontal position. Like all ferns, members of the family Cyatheaceae reproduce via spores. Spores of Cyathea arborea are produced in small sporangia located on the underside of its leaves. This tree fern is native to the Caribbean, where it occurs in Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic), El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles ranging from the Virgin Islands to Tobago. As a group, tree ferns are mostly found in wet tropical forests, and Cyathea arborea specifically grows in habitats such as Puerto Rican moist forests and Hispaniolan moist forests. While it can grow beneath an existing forest canopy, natural disturbances including landslides and hurricanes typically create gaps in the canopy that enable this species to regenerate.
