Dicksonia antarctica, known as the Soft Tree Fern, Man Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern is an evergreen tree fern native to parts of
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, namely
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
, and
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
.
These ferns can grow to 15 m in height, but more typically grow to about 4.5-5 m, and consist of an erect
rhizomeIn botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
forming a trunk. They are very hairy at the base of the
stipeIn botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....
(trunk). The large, dark green, roughly-textured
frondThe term frond is used to refer to a large, divided leaf.In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s spread in a canopy of 2-6 m in diameter.
Dicksonia antarctica, known as the Soft Tree Fern, Man Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern is an evergreen tree fern native to parts of
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, namely
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania – the 26th largest island in the world – and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 500,000 ,...
, and
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
.
Anatomy and biology
These ferns can grow to 15 m in height, but more typically grow to about 4.5-5 m, and consist of an erect
rhizomeIn botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
forming a trunk. They are very hairy at the base of the
stipeIn botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....
(trunk). The large, dark green, roughly-textured
frondThe term frond is used to refer to a large, divided leaf.In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s spread in a canopy of 2-6 m 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
rootIn vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s. The stump, however, will not regenerate since it is dead organic matter. In nature, the fibrous trunks are hosts for a range of
epiphyticAn epiphyte is:Epiphyte is one of the subdivisions of the Raunkiær system. The term most commonly refers to higher plants, but epiphytic bacteria, fungi , algae, lichens, mosses, and ferns exist as well. The term epiphytic derives from the Greek epi- and phyton...
plants including other ferns and
mossMosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es.
The fern grows at 3.5 to 5 cm per year and produces
sporeIn biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions...
s at the age of about 20 years.
Reproduction
Reproduction by this species is primarily from spores, but it can also be grown from plantlets occurring around the base of the rhizome.
In cultivation, it can also be grown as a "cutting", a method not to be encouraged unless the tree-fern is doomed to die in its present position. This involves sawing the trunk through, usually at ground level, and removing the fronds; the top part will form roots and regrow, but the base will die.
Habitat
The fern grows on damp, sheltered woodland slopes and moist gullies, and they occasionally occur at high altitudes in cloud forests.
Dicksonia antarctica is the most abundant tree fern in South Eastern Australia.
The plant can grow in acid, neutral and alkaline
soilSoil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics. It is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and...
s. It can grow in semi-shade. It strongly resents drought or dryness at the roots, but does best in moist soil.
Cultivation
It is particularly suited to garden planting and landscaping purposes. As an
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...
, it is hardy to about –5 C, succeeding outdoors in the milder areas of
BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
where it thrives and often self-sows in
CornishCornwall is a county of England in the United Kingdom, forming the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain. It is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Taken with the...
gardens.
It is best to leave old fronds on the plant in order to protect the trunk from cold and
desiccationDesiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately-well sealed container.-Science:-Desiccator:...
. Winter protection of the trunk is recommended during prolonged or severe cold weather.
They grow best in areas of rainfall of over 1,000 mm per year but in lower rainfall areas do well in moist gullies. They are tolerant of fire and re-shoot readily after re-location. This plant can provide habitat for epiphytes and also provides shelter for more delicate fern species to flourish underneath.
Plant in organic soils and heavily and regularly mulched and water.
Dicksonia antarctica generally requires a minimum rainfall of 500 mm (20 inches) per year. In dry climates, a drip irrigation or spray system applied overhead is the most effective method of watering.
Harvesting
Large
Dicksonia antarctica available for sale come from old growth Tasmanian forests, and may be hundreds of years old. The logging practices by the company
GunnsGunns Limited is a major forestry enterprise located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1875 by brothers John and Thomas Gunn, it is one of Australia's oldest companies. It has over 900 square kilometres of plantations, mainly eucalyptus trees. It is Tasmania’s largest private land-owner. The...
, who effectively have a state-monopoly on logging and make these plants available, have been criticized by green groups for several decades. The trunks are also available legally from local suppliers who licence collection of minor species from
Forestry TasmaniaForestry Tasmania is a Tasmanian state government-owned corporation. It runs the state-owned forestry for tourism and logging .-Controversy:...
, the State Government GBE who manage forestry.
Edibility
The Soft Tree Fern can be used as a food source, with the
pithPith is a substance that is found in vascular plants. It consists of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, and is located in the center of the stem in eudicots and in the center of the roots in monocots. It is encircled by a ring of xylem , and outside that, a ring of phloem . In some plants the pith is...
of the plant being eaten either cooked or raw. It is a good source of
starchStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds.Starch is produced by all green plants as an energy store and is a major food source for humans....
.