- Not to be confused with Dickinsonia.
Dicksonia antarctica is a species of tree fern. Common names include man fern, soft tree fern, Australian tree fern and Tasmanian tree fern. This genus represents a family that originated in the Early Cretaceous, and the genus is commonly called a living fossil for being found since the Eocene. A sister genus, Lophosoria, has been discovered in layers dating to the Albian.
Description[]
These ferns can grow to 15 m (49 ft) in height, but more typically grow to about 4.5–5 m (15–16 ft), and consist of an erect rhizome forming a trunk. They are very hairy at the base of the stipe (trunk). The large, dark green, roughly-textured fronds spread in a canopy of 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in–19 ft 8 in) in diameter. The shapes of the stems vary as some grow curved and there are multi-headed ones. The fronds are borne in flushes, with fertile and sterile fronds often in alternating layers. The "trunk" of this fern is merely the decaying remains of earlier growth of the plant and forms a medium through which the roots grow. The trunk is usually solitary, without runners, but may produce offsets. They can be cut down and, if they are kept moist, the top portions can be replanted and will form new roots. The stump, however, will not regenerate since it is dead organic matter. In nature, the fibrous trunks are hosts for a range of epiphytic plants including other ferns and mosses. The fern grows at 3.5 to 5 cm per year and produces spores at the age of about 20 years.
Distribution[]
It can be found in eastern Australia, ranging from south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria to the island of Tasmania.
Gallery[]
