Cyathea cunninghamii
Slender Tree Fern
Slender Tree Fern
Wikipedia links: Monilophytes > Cyatheales > Cyatheaceae > Cyathea cunninghamii
Other links:
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: