#dicksoniaceae

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#1906 - Dicksonia squarrosa - New Zealand Tree Fern

AKA wheki, rough tree fern, harsh tree fern, Trichomanes squarrosum, Dicksonia gracilis, Dicksonia squarrosa var. gracilis, and Balantium squarrosum. Not to be confused with Dicksonia antarctica, the Soft Tree Fern 

Another of Aoteoroa’s large ferns - these tree ferns grow up to 7m tall, connected to each other by rhizomes, forming groves. This one was near Huka Falls like some of the previous ones, but it’s found over much of New Zealand and some nearby islands, in coastal to montane forest on the North Island, but on the South Island it is largely confined to coastal and lowland sites.

A rapidly growing tree fern, that can do surprisingly well in a container or small garden as long as it doesn’t get too much exposure to harsh sun or very cold weather. Earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, but I’m not sure which year.

The Māori used to build fences for their fortified Pā from dead whekī trunks

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#2239 - Dicksonia fibrosa - Golden Tree Fern

AKA whekī-ponga or kuripaka (in Māori), who used slabs of the trunk in construction.

A slow-growing medium sized tree fern endemc to New Zealand. It holds on to its dead leaves forming a distinctive pale brown skirt, distinguishing it from the related Dicksonia squarrosa. D. fibrosa can reach a height of 6 metres but requires protection from winter frosts. Like its sibling species, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Common south of the Waikato River and Coromandel Peninsula, and also found on Stewart Island and the Chathams.

Huka Falls, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

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#941 - Dicksonia antarctica - Soft Tree Fern

I forgot to mention some of the plants I saw on the trip up to the Snowys - this large tree fern, for example.

Also known as the man fern, Australian tree fern, Tasmanian tree fern, hardy tree fern, and woolly tree fern, this is one of Australia’s most common tree ferns, growing up to 15 meters high and 6 wide.  If I’m right on the ID, finding this high up in the Snowys is a little odd, since some of the sources I was consulting say it prefers damp gullies, and altitudes below 1000m. On the other hand, it was on the shady southern side of the ridge, and it is known to be cold-tolerant. Often grown and exported as an ornamental, although it’s so slow-growing that nearly all specimens are collected from the wild, and often from areas about to be clear-felled for timber. They do not recover well from disturbance, which is a problem given how important they are to other species.

Alpine Way, near Thredbo, in the Snowy Mountains