Cyathea parianensis (Windisch) Lellinger (1984: 57)

Lehnert, Marcus, 2016, A synopsis of the exindusiate species of Cyathea (Cyatheaceae-Polypodiopsida) with bipinnate-pinnatifid or more complex fronds, with a revision of the C. lasiosora complex, Phytotaxa 243 (1), pp. 1-53 : 22-23

22. Cyathea parianensis (Windisch) Lellinger (1984: 57) . Sphaeropteris parianensis Windisch (1976: 58) . Type:— VENEZUELA. Sucre: Peninsula de Paria, Cerro Patao, Norte de Puerto de Hierro, NW de Güira, J.A. Steyermark & G. Agostini 91129 (holotype GH-00022123!, isotypes US-00066175–00066178!, VEN-52963!).

Trunks ca. 0.3–2.0 m tall, otherwise unknown; adventitious buds not reported. Fronds to 200 cm long, erect to arching. Petioles to 50 cm long, only proximally weakly aculeate with spines to 2 mm long, dark ochre to dark brown or blackish, matte to weakly shiny, densely covered with spreading white hairs to 1 mm long; scaly scurf absent; petioles basally with a discontinuous line of distant lenticels to 8–13 × 2 mm on each side, grey brown and inconspicuous in dried material; petiole scales restricted to lower half of the petiole. Petiole scales long-lanceolate, 15.0–30.0 × 1.5–2.5(–3.0) mm, relatively thin textured, bases weakly cordate, basifix to pseudopeltately attached, straight to falcate, apices long attenuate, often strongly undulate and twisted; proximal scales almost concolorous, auburn to brown, distal ones concordanty bicolorous with white margins; differentiated margins persistent, the cell rows weakly exserted, with short teeth. Laminae to 125 × 60–100 cm, bipinnate-pinnatifid, firm-herbaceous to chartaceous, matte, dark green adaxially, dark olive-green abaxially; apices gradually reduced. Rhachises inermous, dark ochre to orange-brown abaxially and adaxially; densely pubescent with tan multicellular hairs to 2.0 mm long, adaxially appressed, abaxially spreading. Pinnae to 55 cm long, sessile, ca. 10–12 pairs per frond, patent to weakly ascending, alternate to rarely opposite, inarticulate, distally narrowly green-alate, distal segments not decurrently adnate before ending in a pinnatifid apical section; basal pinna pairs not much smaller than the medial pinnae, weakly reflexed. Costae to ca. 1.5–2.0 mm wide, inermous, dark ochre to brown or orange-brown abaxially, adaxially darker; with whitish to tan, multicellular hairs to 2.0 mm long, adaxially appressed, abaxially spreading; junctures of costae and rhachises not swollen, abaxially often black when dried, each with an inconspicuous aerophore. Largest pinnules 70–90 × 15–26 mm, sessile, inarticulate, 1.3–2.0(–2.2) cm between the stalks/costules, lanceolate to oblanceolate, truncate to cuneate basally, acute to long-acute apically with entire to shallowly crenate margins; costules yellowish to dark ochre or greenish white adaxially and abaxially, proximally often darker; adaxially strongly prominent, ridged, and densely hairy with whitish to tan, appressed to spreading, multicellular hairs to 2.0 mm long, abaxially weakly to strongly prominent, densely and persistently hairy and scaly, the hairs erect, white, to 2.0 mm long, the scales and caudate squamules white with dentate margins; bullate squamules 0.8–1.0 mm long, with elongate apices; costules basally without pneumathodes. Segments 9.0–14.0 × 4.0–5.0 mm, sessile, adnate, never remote, patent to strongly ascending, distally falcate, tips rounded, proximal segments alternate to subopposite, usually a bit shorter than following segments; sinuses acute, 1.0–2.0 mm wide; margins crenate; margins not differently incised in proximal segments of a pinnule; veins strongly protruding adaxially, planar to weakly protruding abaxailly, midveins ochre to yellowish, lateral veins yellowish green to green, ending before the margins, their ends adaxially widened and yellowish; veins with many erect, white to yellowish white, multicellular hairs to 1.5 mm long on and between them abaxially and adaxially; midveins with some pure white to tan bullate squamules, to 1.0 × 0.5 mm; sterile and fertile veins simple or forked. Sori 1.0 mm diameter, medial to supramedial, in the fork or on the back of veins, immature pale whitish-yellow, mature dark orange-brown; indusia lacking; receptacles globose, 0.3–0.4 mm diameter, paraphyses numerous, distally weakly bent to tortuous, hyaline, whitish to tan, longer than the sporangia (0.6–0.8 mm long). Spores not examined.

Distribution and habitat: —Restricted to the Peninsula de Paria in Venezuela, at 600–1050 m.

Additional specimens examined: — VENEZUELA. Sucre: Peninsula de Paria, Cagigal, NE of Chachipal, Cerro Grande, 10º38’N, 62º48’W, 700–800 m, N of antennas, 11 January 2005, W. Meier et al. 11246 (UC!), Valdez, Cerro Patao, NW of Puerto del Hierro, climb to peak on SW slope, 10º39’30”N, 62º03’30”W, 600–1000 m, 22 March 2000, W. Meier & D. Elsner 6647 (UC!), above Las Melenas, N of Río Grande Arriba, SE of Cerro de Humo, 10º42’N, 62º37’W, 730–1050 m, 1 December 1979, J.A. Steyermark & R. Liesner 120892 (UC!), between Manacal and Los Pocitos de Santa Isabel, 9 July 1972, G. Morillo 2572 (UC!).

Remarks: — Cyathea parianensis replaces C. senilis on the Peninsula de Paria, Venezuela. Both prefer the same habitat and elevation, and are very similar in pinnule shape, petiole scales and—judging from the reported sizes of trunks and fronds—also in stature. Cyathea parianensis differs in having usually densely hairy petioles and adaxial segment surfaces (vs. glabrous in C. senilis ) and concolorous laminar squamules (vs. at least some of the squamules with dark brown tips).

Cyathea pilosissima differs from C. parianensis in having simple to forked fertile veins (vs. always forked in C. parianensis ) and the colour of the petiole scales (castaneous with fragile white margins vs. concolorous auburn to yellowish brown, if margins white then persistent). Cyathea parianensis has also many hairs between the veins (vs. hairs largely confined to the veins in C. pilosissima ).

Another species similar to Cyathea parianensis is C. lockwoodiana , which is easily recognized by having persistent, heavily contorted paraphyses and a rare combination of fine reddish scurf and long spreading hairs on the petioles (vs. paraphyses straight to weakly twisted and hairy petioles lacking fine reddish scurf in C. parianensis ).