The genus was originally described by Carl Ludwig Blume in 1828.[1] It was frequently treated by later authors as a synonym of Cyathea or Alsophila.
In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), Gymnosphaera was left as a synonym of Alsophila, as evidence to support its reliable separation was lacking.[2] More recently, Shi-Yong Dong and collaborators proposed the revival and recircumscription of the genus based on additional phylogenetic evidence,[3] an act subsequently accepted by other tree fern workers.[4]
Phylogeny
As of January 2023[update], the following species are accepted in the genus as currently circumscribed by the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World:[5]
^PPG I (2016). "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 54 (6): 563–603. doi:10.1111/jse.12229. S2CID39980610.
^Dong, Shi-Yong; Zuo, Zheng-Yu (2018). "On the Recognition of Gymnosphaera As a Distinct Genus in Cyatheaceae". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 103 (1): 1–23. doi:10.3417/2017049. S2CID90852235.
