Cyathea pungens (Willd.) Domin (1929a: 263)

Lehnert, Marcus, 2016, A synopsis of the exindusiate species of Cyathea (Cyatheaceae-Polypodiopsida) with bipinnate-pinnatifid or more complex fronds, with a revision of the C. lasiosora complex, Phytotaxa 243 (1), pp. 1-53 : 45

62. Cyathea pungens (Willd.) Domin (1929a: 263) . Polypodium pungens Willdenow (1810: 206) . Alsophila pungens (Willd.) Presl (1836: 61) . Trichipteris pungens (Willd.) Tryon (1970: 46) . Type:— BRAZIL. “Brasilia,” without date, J.C. Hoffmannsegg s.n. (holotype B-20-0000318! [Herb. Willdenow 19716], isotypes NY! [fragment of B], US-00066283! [fragment of B]).

Polypodium procerum Willdenow (1810: 206) . Alsophila procera (Willd.) Desvaux (1827: 319) . Alsophila procera (Willd.) Presl (1836: 61) . Trichipteris procera (Willd.) Tryon (1970: 46) . Type:— BRAZIL. “Brasilia,” without date, J.C. Hoffmannsegg s.n. (holotype B-W19717-011!/-012!/-013! [Herb. Willdenow 19717, 3 sheets], isotype NY! [fragment of B]).

Alsophila infesta Kunze (1834: 98) . Cyathea infesta (Kunze) Domin (1930: 125) . Trichipteris infesta (Kunze) Tryon (1970: 45) . Alsophila phalerata var. infesta (Kunze) Farwell (1931: 250) . Type:— PERU. Huánuco: “Peruviae ad Miss. Tocache fluv. Huallgae vicinam,” [August 1830], E. Poeppig s.n. (holotype LZ, destroyed, lectotype W-0056018!/-0056019!, here designated, isolectotypes B? n.v., BM! [fragment of B]).

Alsophila obtusa Klotzsch (1852: 41) . Trichipteris obtusa (Klotzsch) Tryon (1970: 46) . Type:— VENEZUELA. Without locality, H. Wagener s.n. (holotype B-20-0000322).

Alsophila pterorachis Baker in Hooker & Baker (1874: 456). Cyathea pterorachis (Baker) Domin (1929a: 263) .Type:— PERU. San Martin: Tarapoto, 1855, R. Spruce 4717 (holotype K-000227601!, isotypes B-20-0000362! [fragment], BM-000777031!/-000777032!/- 000777346!, NY! [fragment of B]).

Alsophila eatoni Jenman (1887: 98) . Cyathea eatoni (Jenm.) Domin (1930: 112) . Trichipteris eatoni (Jenm.) Tryon (1970: 44) . Type:— TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. Trinidad: Maraccus, R. Sherring 5 (holotype K-000589803!).

Alsophila pastazensis Hieronymus (1906: 232) . Cyathea pastazensis (Hieron.) Domin (1929b: 63) . Trichipteris pastazensis (Hieron.) Tryon (1970: 46) . Type:— ECUADOR. Pastaza: Between Baños and Jivaría de Pintuc, Río Pastaza Valley, A. Stübel 995a (lectotype B-20-0000321!, here designated, isolectotype NY-00148730! [fragment of B]). One excluded element (Stübel 988, B-20-0000320!) represents Cyathea tortuosa R.C.Moran ; other syntypes (Stübel 975, 20-0000319-a!; Stübel 876a, B-20-0000319-b!) are not assignable to species.

Distribution and habitat: — Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia at 50–1250 m in lowland and premontane forests.

Remarks: —Reports from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico are probably based on variations of Cyathea aspera ; all specimens seen from the Guyanas and most from southern Venezuela and northern Brazil can be attributed to the recently reinstated C. oblonga ( Cremers & Boudrie 2007) . A large, stout variety of C. pungens with exceptionally dark scales, short petioles and blunt pinnules was observed on several occasions in northern Colombia in February 2015 and may be alignable with the synonym Alsophila obtusa .

The lectotype of Alsophila infesta at W are parts of one frond mounted on two sheets, which are annotated accordingly.