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Cyathea smithii
Also called Golden Tree Fern
Alsophila smithii, synonym Cyathea smithii, commonly known as the soft tree fern or kātote, is a species of tree fern from New Zealand.
Alsophila smithii suffers in exposure to wind, sun and frost and is prone to drying out, but can be grown successfully in sheltered areas.
The species' natural distribution covers all major islands of New Zealand: the North and South Islands, Stewart Island / Rakiura, the Chatham Islands, and south to the Auckland Islands. It is common in montane forest, with populations from the southern regions of its range growing in lowland forest. In the Westland forests of South Island, A. smithii occurs in the understory of certain broadleaf/podocarp forests.
The pith was traditionally used as a starch source, but as it is rich in resin, it would likely be a food of last resort or at least an acquired taste. Tree fern trunks have been used as rough building material, fencing, and makeshift trackwork.
Alsophila abbottii · Alsophila acanthophora · Alsophila acuminata · Alsophila alderwereltii · Alsophila alleniae · Alsophila alpina · Alsophila amboinensis · Alsophila aneitensis · Alsophila apiculata · Alsophila apoensis · Rough tree fern · Alsophila balanocarpa
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alsophila smithii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
