Tasie fern

[Anthony Darby]

I extracted this fern from the base of my mother's Dicksonia antarctica. I am assuming it is a Tasmanian species. Any one recognise it? [If so, you can't have it back ]

[Paul T]

Anthony,

At first glance it looks to me like a young Dicksonia antartica, at least the leaves resemble it.  Any particular idetifying features we should know about for IDing?

[Anthony Darby]

The long furry rhizomes?

[Paul T]

my computer monitor strikes again....... I now realise that the green bits at the bottom are the growing ends of a rhizome.  Sorry, my computer monitor is a bit old and a bit dark for certain photos (obviously yours was one of them).  Can't afford to replace it at this stage unfortunately!!  Re your fern.... The leaves are still remarkably similar to Dicksonia leaves. 

So did your fern come directly from Tasmania?  Do they cut them in Tasmania, send them over to you and then sell them immediately?  I know they cut and sell them here, but hadn't thought about them doing that to overseas markets as well.    Wonder what the change in season does to them?  They actually occur at various places in south eastern Australia, not just in Tasmania, but I am guessing that your are imported from Tassie by your heading.  Fascinating to know te're exporting something like that. 

[Anthony Darby]

They come to the UK as furry 'telegraph poles' with little certificates nailed to them. In days gone by they were sometimes used as balast for ships. I think one of the botanic gardens (Arran rings a bell) owes its tree ferns to some being dumped from a ship. Considering they grow at a rate of 1' in 10 years my mum's will be 30 years old as it is 3' tall. The fern above did not necessarily come from Tasmania, but as it was growing out of the fibrous base of the fern I assumed it had. I certainly isn't Dicksonia as this one spreads by surface growing rhizomes.

[rob krejzl]

D. antarctica supports a lot of epiphytes - including smaller D. antarctica's. Could be a Calochlaena, since that spreads by rhizomes, but without more detail I don't think you'll get a positive ID.

Since the above ground height when planted is usually 2/3rds of the total length, you can probably add at least another 15 or 20 years to it's age. Not nursery grown, and though exported legally almost certainly the product of clear-felling old growth forest - a subsidiary income stream whilst the trees themselves are turned into woodchips. I remember the article in The Garden which talked about Dicksonia exports  being the result of 'development'. How much development goes on in a state with less than 500,000 population I wonder?

[Maggi Young]

Since the above ground height when planted is usually 2/3rds of the total length, you can probably add at least another 15 or 20 years to it's age

It's sad to think of the age of the big ones, six to eight foot or more that can be bought in the UK. Shudder to think what percentage of them die.

How much development goes on in a state with less than 500,000 population I wonder?

The only relevant development is in the expansion of the exporter/importers' bank balance, Rob.

[rob krejzl]

It's sad to think of the age of the big ones, six to eight foot or more that can be bought in the UK. Shudder to think what percentage of them die.

The largest ones may be  even older than you imagine. Once they exceed their maximum supportable height of around 4m, they fall over but don't die - just start growing upwards again.