Skip to main content

Tiang fern (Cyathea contaminans)

Paku tiang or pole fern or tiang fern (Cyathea contaminans) is a plant species in Cyatheaceae, has a height of up to 12 m, a single stem and the old part shows traces of leaves, the basal part is thickened by adventitious roots and grows mixed with other species.

C. contaminans has stipe for 100 cm long, gloucous, purplish to the base, very thorny, when young has scales on all parts, up to 45x3 mm in size, pale brown, very thin and setiferous.

Dlium Tiang fern (Cyathea contaminans)

The main rachis is pale, prickly, scaly as a stipe but then glabrescent. Pinnae has the largest size of 60 cm and the lowest decreases with stems up to 10 cm. Pinnules have a size of 150x30 mm or smaller with 1-2 pairs of basal segments more or not at all, the rest of the pine curved almost to the rib.

Costules have a size of 4-5 mm. Common veins are 12 pairs. The lamina segment is hard, rough on the bottom and fibrous edges. Sori is exindusiate, near costule and pale paraphrase is no more than sporangia.

The scales and hair on the pinnae-rachis are prickly, pale and shiny. The lower surface of the costae initially carries a pale setifer scales scattered within 3mm or shorter than distal. It often causes caduceus and leaves the glabrous costae.

Costule with small scales, tufted and pale, mostly caduceus, some hairs present towards the top of the pinnules on the costae but are varied. Veins may have thick, stiff hair and vary in number.



Tiang fern almost resembles a coconut tree so it is easily distinguished from other types of ferns. It grows mixed with other species, but sometimes in groups and often found on open mountain slopes or protected areas.

Spikes are easily found at an altitude of 200-1,600 m. Leaf shoots that are still curled are used as vegetable ingredients. Fine hairs are used for boiled medicinal herbs. Stems are often used as a growing medium for orchids, Anthurium, Piper, Platycerium, Adiantum and other fern species. Sometimes finely chopped to medium in the pot.

Large stems are preferred for home decoration poles. This fern species has a strong trunk and is often also used as handicraft, material for building, used in Hindu traditional ceremonies and used as fuel.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Cyatheales
Family: Cyatheaceae
Genus: Cyathea
Species: C. contaminans

Popular Posts

Kemadih (Fagraea ceilanica)

Kemadih ( Fagraea ceilanica ) is a species of plant in the Gentianaceae family. It grows as a climber and covers host trees. It is a perennial, multi-branched, hardwood plant with hard, brown bark and dark green young bark. F. ceilanica has thick leaves, 15 cm long and 8 cm wide. A central vein is linear, with a pointed tip and base. The upper surface is dark green and the lower surface is bright green. The petiole is 3 cm long. The flowers are fan-shaped with 5 inflorescences. The base is narrow, whitish-yellow or bright green, and 8 cm wide. Four inflorescences with brownish-white tips and one inflorescence with a green tip grow in the center. The fruit is green, 3.5 cm long, and the stalk is 2 cm long. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Gentianaceae Tribe: Potalieae Subtribe: Potaliinae Genus: Fagraea Thunb. in Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Nya Handl. 3: 125 (1782) Species: Fagraea ceilanica Thunb. in Kong...

Giant shield bug (Pycanum alternatum)

Giant shield bug or pycanum rubens ( Pycanum alternatum ) is a species of animal in Tessaratomidae, has a large shield covering the back, shiny green-blue-brown colored and appears to have a powder or wax layer, inhabiting the leaves of plants in open forests or bushes . P. alternatum is also called a stink bug because of its ability to release pungent aromas when disturbed. These insects live solitary with a partner and usually the mother gather in a family together in nymphs. White eggs are attached under the leaves of the plant. Nymphs can be found in the same host as their parent. The nymph has a flat rectangular shape with a large vein in the middle like a flat leaf. Nymphs having striking colors are light green, orange and red. Color may represent various stages of development or gender. The initial stage has a small size and red color. It grows in a bigger size and turns orange then ends in green. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hemipter...

Plumeria rubra and Plumeria obtusa, the differences

SPECIES HEAD TO HEAD - The genus frangipani trees ( Plumeria Tourn. ex L.) has only 18 officially recorded species and two very similar species, frangipani ( Plumeria rubra L.) and white frangipani ( Plumeria obtusa L.). Both have the same habitus, flowers and fruits and are difficult to distinguish. The leaves of both species have slightly different shapes. Therefore, the leaves are very important to distinguish the two species, especially the shape of the tip. P. rubra has simple, lanceolate leaves with acute tips. P. obtusa has simple, elliptic leaves with rounded tips. By Aryo Bandoro Founder of Dlium.com . You can follow him on X: @Abandoro . Read more: Plumeria rubra Plumeria obtusa