Calochlaena dubia

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:        Monilophytes > Cyatheales > Dicksoniaceae > Calochlaena dubia

Other links:    

Plant  information

Common name:         False Bracken 

• Alsp soft bracken, common ground fern or rainbow fern

Conservation status: . . .

Etymology:   

• The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek kalos "beautiful" and chlaina "cloak", and refers to the soft hairs on the species

• The species name dubia is the Latin dubious

Spores:                            

• The sori occur near the margin

Leaves:         

• The fronds arise from rhizomes and are anywhere from 0.4 to 1.5 m in height

• The foliage is a more yellow green colour, in contrast to the darker shiny green of bracken (Pteridium esculentum)

• The stipe changes from dark brown, through reddish- to yellow brown, and is covered with soft brown hairs

• The fronds are triangular overall and tripinnate-pinnatifid in shape

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

• Thick brown haired rhizomes 

Habit:        

• A small Australian fern in the tree-fern family Dicksoniaceae 

• It can form large banks or swathes

Habitat:   

• It is very common within its range, and often seen growing under eucalyptus forest, often on the poorer quality soils

•  It is found as an understory plant in open forests and rainforests

Distribution:                  

• Eastern Australia, from Queensland, through NSW and Victoria into Tasmania

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • One of the many plants described by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in 1810, with the name Davallia dubia

  • It was known for many years as Culcita dubia,

  • It gained its current name with the new genus Calochlaena described in 1988

• Cultivation

  • Well suited to the garden and is an easy plant to grow

  • It must be kept in check by cutting the rhizomes and given plenty of room

  • It does well on clay soils

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calochlaena_dubia (2023)