| Alsophila | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Cyatheaceae |
| Genus: | Cyathea |
| Subgenus: | Cyathea |
| Section: |
Alsophila R. Brown, 1810 |
Alsophila is a section in the subgenus Cyathea. The name was originally applied to a genus of tree ferns which is now considered to be synonymous with Cyathea.
In the 1971 comedy film A New Leaf, Henrietta Lowell (played by Elaine May) is a botanist whose dream is to classify a new species of fern. On a honeymoon trip, she indeed discovers a new species which she names Alsophila grahami after her new husband Henry Graham (Walter Matthau). She describes the plant as having a vestigial indusium.