A graceful and distinctive New Zealand native tree fern, recognised for its soft, lush fronds and preference for cool, moist forest environments. Kātote is an important sub-canopy species in many native forests and performs best in sheltered, damp sites.
🌱 Plant Facts
• Growth habit: Medium-sized tree fern
• Fronds: Soft, green-stalked fronds up to 2.5 m long
• Trunk: Slender trunk to 5 m tall, skirted with old frond bases
• Leaf stems: Covered in tiny red and white star-shaped hairs and pointed scales (visible with magnification)
• Reproduction: Spore producing
• Sporangia: Small, round capsules on the undersides of fronds
• Height: Up to 5 m
🌍 Natural Habitat
• Lowland to montane forest (mostly montane in northern New Zealand)
• Common as a sub-canopy species in dense, moist forest
• Frequently found in gullies, valley heads, bush margins, and wetter open scrub
• In high-rainfall areas may dominate regenerating forest, cut-over bush, deer-damaged forest, and even pine plantations
🌿 Growing Environment
• Shade tolerant
• Wetland tolerant
Best suited to cool, sheltered sites with consistently moist soils and high humidity.
📍 Endemic Distribution
• Endemic to New Zealand
• Occurs on the North, South, Stewart, Chatham, and Auckland Islands
🌾 Uses
• Bird food and attractant
• Native forest and understory plantings
• Restoration of damp gullies and shaded forest environments
🪴 Cultivation Notes (Live Plant)
A relatively easy tree fern to grow in the right conditions. Kātote must never be allowed to dry out and requires shelter from strong winds. It performs best in wetter regions and shaded sites where soil moisture is reliable year-round. Ideal for forest gardens, gully plantings, and ecological restoration in high-rainfall areas.
📏 Approximate product size:
• PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)
• PB18 (1m+, 8.5L)
• PB40 (1.5m+, 18.5L)
⏱️ Timeframe:
We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.
📦 Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.
🌱 We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage
A graceful and distinctive New Zealand native tree fern, recognised for its soft, lush fronds and preference for cool, moist forest environments. Kātote is an important sub-canopy species in many native forests and performs best in sheltered, damp sites.
🌱 Plant Facts
• Growth habit: Medium-sized tree fern
• Fronds: Soft, green-stalked fronds up to 2.5 m long
• Trunk: Slender trunk to 5 m tall, skirted with old frond bases
• Leaf stems: Covered in tiny red and white star-shaped hairs and pointed scales (visible with magnification)
• Reproduction: Spore producing
• Sporangia: Small, round capsules on the undersides of fronds
• Height: Up to 5 m
🌍 Natural Habitat
• Lowland to montane forest (mostly montane in northern New Zealand)
• Common as a sub-canopy species in dense, moist forest
• Frequently found in gullies, valley heads, bush margins, and wetter open scrub
• In high-rainfall areas may dominate regenerating forest, cut-over bush, deer-damaged forest, and even pine plantations
🌿 Growing Environment
• Shade tolerant
• Wetland tolerant
Best suited to cool, sheltered sites with consistently moist soils and high humidity.
📍 Endemic Distribution
• Endemic to New Zealand
• Occurs on the North, South, Stewart, Chatham, and Auckland Islands
🌾 Uses
• Bird food and attractant
• Native forest and understory plantings
• Restoration of damp gullies and shaded forest environments
🪴 Cultivation Notes (Live Plant)
A relatively easy tree fern to grow in the right conditions. Kātote must never be allowed to dry out and requires shelter from strong winds. It performs best in wetter regions and shaded sites where soil moisture is reliable year-round. Ideal for forest gardens, gully plantings, and ecological restoration in high-rainfall areas.
📏 Approximate product size:
• PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)
• PB18 (1m+, 8.5L)
• PB40 (1.5m+, 18.5L)
⏱️ Timeframe:
We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.
📦 Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.
🌱 We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage
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