Cyathea cunninghamii

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:        Monilophytes > Cyatheales > Cyatheaceae > Cyathea cunninghamii

Other links:    

Plant  information

Common name:                   Slender Tree Fern

• Also,  the gully tree fern 

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• Derived from the Greek kyatheion, meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds

• The specific epithet cunninghamii commemorates Allan Cunningham (1791-1839), a botanist who traveled widely in Australia and New Zealand

Spores:                            

• Sori occur along each side of the pinnule midvein

• They are covered by hood-like indusia

Leaves:         

• Fronds are tri- to tetrapinnate and 3 m or more in length

• The rachis and stipe are slender, black brown, warty and covered with brown scales

Stem & branches: 

• The erect trunk may be 20 m tall and is usually 6–15 cm in diameter, occasionally as much as 20 cm

Roots:         

Habit:        

• An uncommon and slow-growing tree fern

Habitat:   

• It grows in damp forest, often emerging from stream gullies and riverbanks

• It has a lower tolerance for drought than other related species

Distribution:                  

• A species of tree fern indigenous to New Zealand including North Island (type locality), South Island and Chatham Islands

• Also to Victoria, possibly NSW, southeastern Queensland and Tasmania in Australia

• Plants from New Caledonia known as Alsophila stelligera may represent the same species

Additional notes:   

• In the wild, A. cunninghamii hybridises with Alsophila australis to form the fertile hybrid Alsophila × marcescens

• Cultivation

  • To do well in cultivation, it requires moisture

  • Rich humus is a good growing medium

  • Plants should be protected from the wind

Sources of information:

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