New records, names and combinations of scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae) in eastern Malesia

Abstract

Several scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae) from eastern Malesia are transferred from Cyathea s.lat. to other genera: Alsophila roroka from Sulawesi; Alsophila lamoureuxii from New Guinea; Alsophila binayana, A. bisquamata, A. mapahuwensis, A. murkelensis, A. ohaensis, and Sphaeropteris pukuana from Seram. A new name is chosen for Cyathea coriacea, Alsophila katoi, which here is first reported for the Vogelkop Peninsula, New Guinea. Alsophila commutata, a tree fern with branched trunks, is first reported from the Philippines, expanding its original distribution from the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. A detailed and revised diagnostic description of this species is provided and a second-step lectotype is chosen.