| Dicksonia fibrosa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Cyatheales |
| Family: | Dicksoniaceae |
| Genus: | Dicksonia |
| Species: | D. fibrosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Dicksonia fibrosa Colenso in Hooker | |
Dicksonia fibrosa, the golden tree fern, whekī-ponga, wheki-kōnga, or kurīpākā (in Māori) is a species of medium-sized tree fern native to New Zealand.
Etymology and taxonomy
Dicksonia fibrosa Colenso in Hooker, Sp. Fil. 1, 68 (1844) was originally collected by Colenso, but was inadvertently described by Hooker. Dicksonia refers to James Dickson. fibrosa refers to the fibrous trunk.
D. fibrosa is known by the names kuranui-pākā, kurīpākā, pūnui, tūkirunga, wekī, whekī, wheki-ponga, whekī-kōhunga, wheki-kohoonga, or whekī-ponga in Māori.
Description
D. fibrosa has a thick, soft and fibrous rusty brown trunk. It holds on to its dead leaves producing a distinctive pale brown skirt, distinguishing it from the related Dicksonia squarrosa. A slow-growing plant, similar to Dicksonia antarctica, D. fibrosa can reach a height of 6 metres (20 ft). It requires winter protection in any area that is subject to winter frosts.
Distribution and habitat
D. fibrosa can be found in the South Island, Chatham Islands, and in the North Island, but is uncommon north of the Waikato River and Coromandel Peninsula. It is rare on Stewart Island.
It is now naturalised in the Auckland area, and on Hawai'i.
D. fibrosa inhabits coastal and montane areas. It extends up to 1100m in elevation in Kaweka and Ruahine ranges of the north island, but only to around 400m in Marlborough.
D. fibrosa prefers wet areas and gulleys, under full forest cover, particularly podocarp, Southern beech or broadleaf forests.
Ecology
D. fibrosa is a long-lived species, up to 250 years. They are important for nutrient cycling, as well as for influencing the light locally where they can shade-out light-loving species. Their stems can also provide locations for epiphytes. The species is also a host for many species of fungi.
Human uses
Slabs cut from the thick stem of the whekī-ponga, alongside D. squarrosa, were used by Māori over 150 years ago in constructing the outside of houses, or lining underground storage spaces.
It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
References
- Colenso, W. (1845) Tasmanian J. Nat. Sci. 2(8): 179
- ^ "Dicksonia fibrosa". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Flora of New Zealand | Taxon Profile | Dicksonia fibrosa". Flora of New Zealand. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Brock, James M. R.; Perry, George L. W.; Lee, William G.; Burns, Bruce R. (1 September 2016). "Tree fern ecology in New Zealand: A model for southern temperate rainforests". Forest Ecology and Management. 375: 112–126. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2016.05.030. ISSN 0378-1127.
- Andrew Crowe (1997). A Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Native Ferns. Auckland, New Zealand: Penguin Books. p. 11.
- "Dicksonia antarctica comparison".
- "Dicksonia fibrosa Colenso". Biota of NZ. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- "Dicksonia fibrosa. Whekī-ponga. Tree fern". rauropiwhakaoranga.landcareresearch.co.nz. Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- "RHS Plant Selector - Dicksonia fibrosa". Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 29. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
External links
Data related to Dicksonia fibrosa at Wikispecies
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Dicksonia fibrosa | |
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