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Overview
Dicksonia antarctica is a tree fern forming a thick fibrous brown trunk to 4-10 m (13-33 ft) tall and 30-60 cm (12-24 in) wide, the trunk built from densely matted aerial roots around a slender stem. It is crowned by a wide rosette of arching dark green tripinnate fronds 2-3 m (6.5-10 ft) long, softer and more leathery than those of the rough tree fern. The stipe bases are clothed in soft red-brown hairs rather than spines and feel smooth to the touch. New fronds uncoil from a central crown through spring and summer. Spore clusters form along the margins on the undersides of fertile fronds. It grows in cool shaded gullies, fern gullies, and wet forest understorey in southeastern Australia and Tasmania, often in dense stands beside streams. Slow-growing, it adds only about 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) of trunk a year and can live for centuries. The fibrous trunk holds moisture and can resprout if the top is removed, but the crown dies if it dries out, and the fern scorches in sun and wind.
Native Range
Native to southeastern Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, in cool moist forest gullies, shaded slopes, and stream banks, sometimes forming extensive colonies.Suggested Uses
Grown in shaded moist gardens, fern gullies, ferneries, and courtyards as a structural feature, and in cool rainforest-style and streamside plantings. Its frost tolerance suits cool temperate gardens.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height13' - 33'
Width/Spread10' - 16'
Bloom Information
As a fern, Dicksonia antarctica does not flower. It reproduces by spores carried along the frond margins on the undersides of mature fronds, shed mainly in the warmer months. Fresh fronds uncoil from the trunk crown through spring and summer.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Dark greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 1-5 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