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Dicksonia antarctica
Also called Australian Tree Fern, Australian Tree Ferns, Australian Treefern
Soft tree-fern (Dicksonia antarctica) is a large tree-like fern from eastern Australia, widely grown as an ornamental. It needs humid conditions, reliable moisture and shelter from hot, dry wind to thrive.
Dicksonia antarctica, commonly known as the soft tree fern, is a species of fern native to eastern Australia, ranging from south-east Queensland to Tasmania. It is commonly grown as an ornamental both in Australia and elsewhere.
Dicksonia antarctica generally requires a minimum rainfall of 500 mm (20 inches) per year. In dry climates, a drip irrigation or spray system applied overhead is the most effective method of watering.
This plant is particularly suited to garden planting and landscaping purposes. As an ornamental plant, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
The natural range of this fern stretches from the Bunya Mountains in southeast Queensland, southwards through the near-coastal areas of New South Wales and Victoria into Tasmania. At one time it also occurred in South Australia, but is probably extinct in the wild in that state. It has been introduced into Great Britain, Ireland, Madeira, the Azores and South Africa.
The caudices of the soft tree fern have been used for fencing and for growing orchids. Both the pith and the croziers of the soft tree fern are edible, and were eaten by indigenous Australians. The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that
Golden Tree Fern · Imperial Samambaiaçu · Hard treefern · Tree fern
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dicksonia antarctica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
