''Dicksonia fibrosa'', the golden tree fern, , , or (in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

) is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of medium-sized

tree fern Tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk (botany), trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae ( ...

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to New Zealand.

Etymology and taxonomy

Colenso in Hooker, ''Sp. Fil.'' 1, 68 (1844) was originally collected by Colenso, but was inadvertently described by Hooker. ''Dicksonia'' refers to James Dickson. refers to the fibrous trunk. is known by the names , , , , , , , , , or in

Description

has a thick, soft and fibrous rusty brown trunk. According to Large & Braggins, the trunk can be up to in diameter. It holds on to its dead leaves producing a distinctive pale brown skirt, distinguishing it from the related . A slow-growing plant, similar to , can reach a height of . It requires winter protection in any area that is subject to winter frosts. A local race or variety of ''D. fibrosa'' found to the region of

Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

regularly branches

dichotomous A dichotomy () is a partition of a set, partition of a whole (or a set) into two parts (subsets). In other words, this couple of parts must be * jointly exhaustive: everything must belong to one part or the other, and * mutually exclusive: nothi ...

ly producing as many as nineteen forks.

Distribution and habitat

''D. fibrosa'' can be found in the South Island, Chatham Islands, and in the North Island, but is uncommon north of the Waikato River and Coromandel Peninsula. It is rare on Stewart Island. It is now naturalised in the Auckland area, and on

Hawai'i Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

. ''D. fibrosa'' inhabits coastal and montane areas. It extends up to 1100 m in elevation in Kaweka and Ruahine ranges of the North Island, but only to around 400 m in Marlborough. ''D. fibrosa'' prefers wet areas and gulleys, under full forest cover, particularly

podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly southern hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pres ...

southern beech ''Nothofagus'', also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 43 species of trees and shrubs native to the Southern Hemisphere, found across southern South America (Chile, Argentina) and east and southeast Australia, New Zealand, New Guin ...

or broadleaf forests.

Ecology

is a long-lived species, up to 250 years. They are important for nutrient cycling, as well as for influencing the light locally where they can shade-out light-loving species. Their stems can also provide locations for epiphytes. The species is also a host for many species of fungi.

Human uses

Slabs cut from the thick stem of the whekī-ponga, alongside ''D. squarrosa'', were used by

over 150 years ago in constructing the outside of houses, or lining underground storage spaces. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

References

External links

* Dicksoniaceae Endemic flora of New Zealand Ferns of New Zealand Trees of New Zealand Trees of mild maritime climate Garden plants of Oceania Ornamental trees Taxa named by William Colenso Plants described in 1845 {{tree-stub