Addiction leads to a Dicksonia

My first “hit” from C. cooperi came in a 300mm pot. Six months later I found myself ordering 20 specimens from a nursery in Mossman. That was my “gateway” fern, it  got me wondering "what else is out there?" and when you are a fern addict like me, you start to seek out the "heavy stuff". This week we look take a close look at some of the most popular tree fern species.


A Dicksonia antarctica garden
http://www.tomstuartsmith.co.uk/projects/private-gardens/london-garden
Viewed on 5/4/18
A "Soft Tree Fern" D. antarctica
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1025141
Viewed on 5/4/18

Dicksonia antarctica
 
You will notice that this species has a much thicker trunk than C.cooperi and has more fronds at its crown. One awesome feature about this species is that its trunk can be cut and planted in a pot where it will grow new roots (Hicks, 2003). The top will form a new plant while the base will die. It typically grows to 5 meters and produces fronds which are 4 meters long (Large & Braggins, 2004). As its name suggests, this species likes cool climates and can be found from Southern Queensland to Tasmania (Hicks, 2003). This plant thrives in filtered sunlight and loose, well drained soil with plenty of water and organic matter (Hicks, 2003). 

A Norfolk Tree Fern, C. brownii
http://travel2unlimited.com/norfolk-island-norfolk-tree-fern/
Viewed on 5/4/18
Cyathea brownii 

Think of this species as C.cooperi on steroids. This is likely the largest tree fern species in the world, growing to 20 meters high, almost twice as high as C. cooperi, with fronds that are 5 meters long (Large & Braggins, 2004). Similarly to C. Cooperi, this species grows in tropical rainforest and has coin shaped scars on its trunk. Being endemic to Norfolk Island (Large & Braggins, 2004) makes this species hard for “fern addicts” to acquire.

The red fronds of B. brasliense
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blechnum_brasiliense_in_Jardin_des_Plantes_02.JPG
Viewed on 5/4/18
Blechnum Brasliense 

This species is a dwarf tree fern, making it a great indoor specimen. Its leaves are noticeably simpler than the previously mentioned tree ferns, but they are also this fern's best feature. The fronds of this species appear bright red when first emerging, which isn’t something any other species can boast about. Originating from Brazil, this little guy will only grow to 1.5 meters (RHS, 2018). 

These are just three of the tree ferns that give me my fix, BUT I NEED MORE!!! What other tree ferns would you recommend to a junkie like me?





Reference list

Large, M.F. & Braggins, J.E. 2004, Tree ferns, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.
 
Molly Hicks, 2003, Australian Natural Herbarium, Viewed 5 April 2018, <https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2003/dicksonia-antarctica.html>

Royal Horticultural Society, 2018, Viewed 5 April 2018, <https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/21330/i-Blechnum-brasiliense-i/Details>

Comments

  1. Tasmin6 April 2018 at 22:05

    Check out Cheilanthes robusta if you want a little fern hit  What would the benefit be of the red colouration in Blechnum brasiliense?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saint Dale10 April 2018 at 21:00

      Hi Tasmin, what a cool little "lip" fern. Now I just need to start saving up all my centerlink for a trip to South Africa so I can see one :p

      As for the red colouration, you may have noticed that some other rainforest trees also delay the greening of their leaves until full expansion? this strategy is thought to provide protection from some insect species. The idea is that the plant makes its new leaves devoid of any nutrition so as to discourage insects from eating them before they reach full size. But this explains the absence of green, you asked about the red. gosh, I do love a good, old fashion tangent.

      It is "Anthocyanin pigment" that gives most rainforest leaves their red colour. This chemical is somewhat fungicidal and can photoprotect leaves against UV damage (I don't suspect this would be too important in a rainforest understory but may still matter)

      Thanks for the thought provoking question. If you want a deeper understanding of why young leaves are red, I would recommend the article "why are young leaves red" which I have linked below:

      https://www.jstor.org/stable/3547623?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

      Delete
  2. Jeff Jackson10 April 2018 at 21:47

    I've always liked Adiantum spp. (Maidenhair ferns). Do you reckon you can make up some sort of spore mix to spray on bricks?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saint Dale11 April 2018 at 23:05

      A maidenhair wall!!! so cool!

      Have you heard of the Ginko tree? its a big tree with maidenhair leaves. It should probably be extinct except it was cultivated regularly by Chinese monks for many years to be grown at their temples and stuff. It's not really found in the wile any more. I'd love to grow one , except that it can't grow in the tropics :( oh well, plenty of other fish in the forest.

      Delete

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