Cyathea spinulosa
This treefern from India, Thailand, China, Taiwan, and Japan remains rare in cultivation outside of Asia. It requires a moist, sheltered position to thrive, but is also able to recover from harsh treatment. In one instance it was allowed to dry out and yet grew back, though slowly. The 10' fronds are dark green and finely divided, held in a graceful arching habit, and the slender trunk is able to reach a height of about 20'. It has a vigorous root system and may not be very well adapted to pot culture, but it does seem to have at least a few degrees of frost tolerance. It adapts best to a summer-moist climate, thriving from Kathmandu to Japan.
A young, potted plant of Cyathea spinulosa. Photo courtesy of Scott Ridges.
A frond of Cyathea spinulosa that has almost fully expanded. Photo courtesy of Scott Ridges.
Crown and lower stipes of Cyathea spinulosa. Photo courtesy of Scott Ridges.
A mature Cyathea spinulosa in northeast India. Photo courtesy and copyright, © 1998 M. Gibbons and T. W. Spanner.
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