Slender tree fern
| Cyathea cunninghamii | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
Rare (NCA)
|
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida/Pteridopsida (disputed) |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Cyatheaceae |
| Genus: | Cyathea |
| Subgenus: | Cyathea subg. Cyathea |
| Section: | Cyathea sect. Alsophila |
| Species: | C. cunninghamii |
| Binomial name | |
|
Cyathea cunninghamii J. D. Hooker, 1854 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Cyathea cunninghamii, also known as the gully tree fern and slender tree fern, is a species of tree fern indigenous to New Zealand including North Island (type locality), South Island and Chatham Islands; also to Victoria, possibly New South Wales, southeastern Queensland and Tasmania in Australia. It grows in damp forest, often emerging from stream gullies and riverbanks. Brownsey noted that it has a lower tolerance for drought than other species of Cyathea. The erect trunk may be 20 m tall and is usually 6–15 cm in diameter, occasionally as much as 20 cm. Fronds are tri- to tetrapinnate and 3 m or more in length. The rachis and stipe are slender, black brown, warty and covered with brown scales. Sori occur along each side of the pinnule midvein and are covered by hood-like indusia. C. cunninghamii is an uncommon and slow-growing tree fern.
Plants from New Caledonia known as Cyathea stelligera may represent the same species.
In the wild, C. cunninghamii hybridises with Cyathea australis to form the fertile hybrid Cyathea × marcescens.
To do well in cultivation, C. cunninghamii requires moisture. Rich humus is a good growing medium. Plants should be protected from the wind.
...
Wikipedia