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Calochlaena spp.
soft bracken
Eastern Australia, New Guinea, SW Pacific
Overview
Calochlaena is a genus of ground ferns in the family Dicksoniaceae, native to Australia, New Guinea, and the southwest Pacific. The widespread species C. dubia, called soft bracken or false bracken, spreads by a hairy, creeping underground rhizome to form open colonies of fronds. The fronds are broadly triangular, 1.5-5 feet (0.5-1.5 m) long, finely divided two to three times, and soft to the touch, with pale hairs along the stalks and a yellow-green to mid-green colour. As ferns, plants reproduce by spores carried in small cup-shaped sori at the segment margins on the undersides of fertile fronds, rather than by flowers or seed. Calochlaena grows in moist, sheltered forest, gully slopes, and disturbed clearings, and the running rhizome lets a colony spread widely, which can crowd smaller plants. The soft hairs and finer texture separate it from the coarse, hairless true bracken, Pteridium.
Native Range
Calochlaena is native to eastern and northern Australia, New Guinea, and islands of the southwest Pacific. C. dubia grows through eastern Australia from Queensland to Victoria, in moist eucalypt forest, fern gullies, creek banks, and shaded road cuttings, often on slightly acid soils.Suggested Uses
Calochlaena dubia is used as a shade and woodland groundcover, in fern gardens, and for stabilising moist, shaded banks. It suits naturalistic and native plantings in mild, frost-light climates (about USDA zones 9-10). Its running rhizome makes it too vigorous for small, mixed borders.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1'6" - 5'
Bloom Information
Ferns do not flower. Reproduction is by spores released from small marginal cups on the undersides of fertile fronds, mainly through the warmer months. New fronds also arise along the spreading rhizome, so colonies enlarge without spores.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Yellow-green to mid-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight