Six new combinations and one new natural hybrid of ferns from Sri Lanka Author Rajapaksha, Ranil text Phytotaxa 2021 2021-07-15 511 2 183 186 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.511.2.6 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.511.2.6 1179-3163 5426642 3. Alsophila srilankensis (Ranil) Ranil , comb. nov. Basionym: Cyathea srilankensis Ranil (2010:39) . Type :— SRI LANKA , Sabaragamuwa Province , Ratnapura District , Sinharaja forest , 542 m , R . H . G . Ranil 50 R , 15 May 2017 ( holotype PDA !) . Distribution:— Sri Lanka (endemic). Note:—In Sri Lanka , A. srilankensis remotely resembles A. hookeri (Thwaites) R.M.Tryon from which it is easily distinguished by its larger trunk and leaves as well as by its pinnate to pinnatisect pinnae ( Ranil et al. , 2010b ). Also, it was clear that A. srilankensis is somewhat morphologically similar only to Alsophila humilis J.Sm. , which occurs in Tanzania and Kenya , and to Alsophila schliebenii Reimers in Tanzania . Though, Holttum (1981) suggested an affinity of Sri Lankan tree ferns with African elements, Janssen et al. (2008) claimed that Sri Lankan tree ferns form a monophyletic group not closely related to African tree ferns. However, the phylogenetic position of A. srilankensis remains to be further elucidated.