Cyathea dealbata

Silver tree fern ( Cyathea dealbata )

The silver fern ( Cyathea dealbata ) is a plant from the family of Cyatheaceae. It is native to New Zealand and is the local national plant, the coat of arms of New Zealand its branches are shown.

Description

The shoot axis reaches stature heights of up to 10 meters, at the approach they reached a diameter of up to 45 centimeters. The strong stems of the fern leaves are thick up to 4 inches at the base, their approaches are long outlasting. The approximately 5 centimeters long chaff scales are shiny and dark brown. The coat is yellow-brown.

The two to three times pinnate leaf blades are up to 3 meters long and 1 meter wide (sometimes larger), tapering wedge-shaped and almost leathery. On the top they are dark green, light green when young plants on the bottom, later fronds are increasingly white to mottled gray, the fronds of adult plants are overleaf completely white or gray.

The oblong pointed leaflets are 30 to 50 inches long, the oblong lanceolate, wedge-shaped tapering pinnae 10 cm or more, the pinnules up to 15 millimeters. The latter are almost sickle-shaped and pointed. The edges of the upper half are serrated and slightly inflected.

The roundish sori have a diameter of about 1 millimeter, the sori covering indusia are initially thin and not obsolete.

Dissemination

The species is found in New Zealand on the North Island, the South Island and the Chatham Islands and Lord Howe Islands of Au - up in mountain forests and in bushland. In clearings temperate rain forests, the plants can form veritable thickets.