Dicksonia sellowiana, the xaxim, or samambaiaçu or imperial samambaiaçu, is an arborescent fern in the family Dicksoniaceae, native to the tropical Americas.

Dicksonia sellowiana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Cyatheales
Family: Dicksoniaceae
Genus: Dicksonia
Species:
D. sellowiana
Binomial name
Dicksonia sellowiana

Distribution

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The fern is native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America.

In the South American Atlantic Forest biome, it is found in: Southeastern Brazil in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul; in northeast of Argentina within Misiones Province; and in eastern Paraguay.

Description

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Dicksonia sellowiana has an erect and cylindrical caudex, reaching sometimes more than 10 metres (33 ft) high, the fronds are bipinnate and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long. Due to illegal extraction, the species is at risk of extinction.

Varieties

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Dicksonia sellowiana is variable in its form. Variations are sometimes treated as separate varieties, which include:[1]

  • Dicksonia sellowiana var. ghiesbreghtii
  • Dicksonia sellowiana var. gigantea
  • Dicksonia sellowiana var. karsteniana
  • Dicksonia sellowiana var. lobulata

References

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  1. ^ "Dicksonia sellowiana". Archived from the original on 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
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