Metaxya is a neotropical genus of ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is the only genus in the family Metaxyaceae in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Alternatively, the genus may be placed in the subfamily Metaxyoideae of a more broadly defined family Cyatheaceae, the family placement used in Plants of the World Online .
The species of the genus are characterized by large fronds that approach 8 ft (2.5 m) in length.
Species , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: Image Scientific name Distribution Metaxya contamanensis Tuomisto & G.G.Cárdenas Peru to Bolivia Metaxya elongata Tuomisto & G.G.Cárdenas Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panamá, Venezuela Metaxya lanosa A.R.Sm. & Tuomisto Peru, Venezuela (Amazonas) to Guyana. Metaxya rostrata (Kunth) C.Presl Mexico (Chiapas), Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela Metaxya scalaris Tuomisto & G.G.Cárdenas Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
Phylogeny Phylogeny of Metaxya
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