Botanical name:

Dicksonia squarrosa

Common name(s):

Wheki, rough tree fern, harsh tree fern

About:

A tree fern can grow to an impressive height of up to 8m tall. It typically forms dense colonies, creating an attractive and unique environment. The trunks are distinctively covered in dead, black stipe ends, which are not particularly dense and often bear aerial buds that contribute to its character. The live fronds tend to be somewhat untidy and tattered in appearance, usually falling off when they die, or alternatively, they may form an irregular and messy skirt around the base of the fern.

Natural habitat:

Occurs throughout the North Island in coastal to montane forest. It grows from near sea-level to 860m in the Kaweka and Ruahine ranges. In the South Island it is largely confined to coastal and lowland sites, but reaches 500m near Haast, and 900m at Jordan Stream, Marlborough.

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun & Shade tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

New Zealand’s North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.

Height: 8m

Flowering: N/A spore producing

Fruiting: N/A

Uses:

Riparian plantings & Forests.

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh spores, by division of plant-lets and by transplanting the mature trunks. Tolerant of a wide range of situations and soil types. Dicksonia squarrosa needs room to spread and can become aggressive in some garden situations. This species often naturally appears in garden situations.