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Cyathea Medullaris

Ferns and Fern Allies

Cyathea medullaris, now classified as Sphaeropteris medullaris and commonly known as mamaku or black tree fern, is a large tree fern reaching up to 20 meters tall with a trunk as much as 20 centimeters in diameter at breast height. It is distributed across the southwest Pacific from Fiji to Pitcairn Island and is a common plant in the forests of New Zealand.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Photosynthetic Autotroph 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Relationship to People
Eaten or Drunk by People 1
Scientific Name
Sphaeropteris medullaris 1
Conservation Status
Not Evaluated 3
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Appendix II 2
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Pteridophyta, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Cyathea Medullaris
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Australia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Fiji

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Vanuatu

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Sphaeropteris medullaris
Wikipedia
  • Wikidata Q15600236 (P225 taxon name)
  • Taxonomy and etymology
    The species epithet medullaris means pithy, referring to the white, edible substance found on the inside of the tree fern's trunk.
  • lead sentence (diet), EntityId 339102
    Sphaeropteris medullaris, synonym Cyathea medullaris, commonly known as mamaku or black tree fern, is a large tree fern up to 20 m (66 ft) tall with a trunk up to 20 cm diameter at breast height.
  • lead paragraph (habitat realm), EntityId 339102
    It is distributed across the south-west Pacific from Fiji to Pitcairn Island and is a common plant found in forests of New Zealand.
View the Source
2. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Cyathea medullaris
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 48771
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 48771
"appendix":"II","change_type":"+","effective_at":"2026-03-05","annotation":"[GENUS listing Cyathea spp.] "
View the Source
3. GBIF (IUCN Red List category): GBIF IUCN Red List category for Sphaeropteris medullaris
GBIF (IUCN Red List category)GBIF taxon key 5529626, category field
Quote, GBIF taxon key 5529626, category field
"category": "NOT_EVALUATED"
View the Source
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
International Union for Conservation of NatureView the Source
Wikidata: Cyathea Medullaris
Child Taxon Of: Pteridophyta, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
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