''Sphaeropteris crinita'',

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

''Alsophila crinita'' and ''Cyathea crinita'', is a species of

tree fern Tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk (botany), trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae ( ...

native to India and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It is considered to be endangered.

Distribution and habitat

''Sphaeropteris crinita'' is found between 1,500 and 2,200 m in the Western Ghats of India and in the central wet zone of Sri Lanka, in about 15 locations. Few individual plants are found together, along streams and in marshy areas.

Conservation

The species is considered to be endangered; threats include road construction and use of the entire plant for ornamental purposes. An in-vitro protocol for propagation has been developed, and ex-situ populations established at two locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q17189153, from2=Q17037196 crinita Flora of India (region) Flora of Sri Lanka Ferns of Asia Flora of the Western Ghats Plants described in 1844 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN