About Gymnosphaera capensis subsp. capensis
Like both subspecies of the broader species Gymnosphaera capensis, Gymnosphaera capensis subsp. capensis has a slender, erect trunk that reaches up to 4.5 metres (15 ft) tall, and occasionally grows as tall as 6 metres (20 ft), with a diameter of about 15 cm. Its fronds are tripinnate, 2–3 metres long, and grow from long stipes (stalks). The rachis, the main stem of the leaf, is smooth to slightly warty, and covered in scales that range in color from tan to brown or dark brown. The frond stalks are covered with dark brown or black scales. The smallest leaflets (pinnae) have toothed, serrated margins. The lowest pinnae may be separated from other pinnae along the rachis and form a clump around the trunk crown, similar to the "wig" of Gymnosphaera baileyana. This moss-like tuft of tiny, reduced leaves is a distinctive feature of Gymnosphaera capensis, and can be used to identify the species across its range. Sori grow in two rows, with one row along each side of the pinnule midvein, and each sorus is covered by a scale-like indusium. This fern species is the only member of the family Cyatheaceae native to both Africa and the Americas. The full species Gymnosphaera capensis is split into two subspecies: Gymnosphaera capensis subsp. capensis, which is native to the Old World tropics of Africa, where it occurs in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Zimbabwe, and South Africa, ranging from the Western Cape province through KwaZulu-Natal to Mpumalanga. It grows in cool, shady, moist forest beside rivers and waterfalls, at elevations between 360 and 1,820 metres (1,180–5,970 ft). The species' specific epithet capensis references the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the location where the type specimen was collected. The second subspecies, Gymnosphaera capensis subsp. polypodioides, is native to the New World tropics of South America. It is endemic to montane Atlantic Forest habitats in southeastern Brazil, growing at elevations of 900–2,000 metres (3,000–6,600 ft). The full species Gymnosphaera capensis is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is relatively easy to grow when given a semi-shady, moist, sheltered environment, and can likely tolerate several degrees of frost.
