Cyatheaceae

West Indian treefern

Cyathea arborea (L.) Sm.

Family: Cyatheaceae
Genus: Cyathea

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West Indian treefern: Helecho gigante en el Bosque pluvial el Yunque, Puerto Rico. — Photo: Xemenendura, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (2)

Arabic: كياثون شجري
English: West Indian treefern

Synonyms

Cormophyllum arboreum (L.) Newman
Cyathea arborea var. pusilla Bosco
Cyathea arborea var. regnellii Baker
Cyathea barbata Bory; Kuhn
Cyathea guadalupensis Spreng.
Cyathea serra Willd.
Disphenia arborea (L.) C.Presl
Hemitelia arborea (L.) Fée
Hemitelia serra Desv.
Nephelea arborea (L.) Sehnem
Polypodium arboreum L.

Flowers

Flower colour: brown (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Puerto Rico: native, U.S. Virgin Islands: native

Photos

Photo: Xemenendura, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Alan Weakley, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Xemenendura, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matteo Bellucci, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Alina Martin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Patrice78500, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Alan Weakley, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Patrice78500, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Crystella, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Patrice78500, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: ritirene, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Cyathea

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.