Silver fern
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| Silver Fern Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||
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| Missing image Silver_Fern.JPG Underside of silver fern frond | ||||||||||||
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The Silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) is a species of medium-sized tree fern endemic to New Zealand. Silver fern is the commonly used name for what the Maori call Punga or Ponga.
This fern is known to grow to heights of 10 m or more (though it occassionally takes a rare creeping form). The crown is dense, and the fronds tend to be about 4 m long and have a silver-white colouration on the undersides. This distinctive silver colouration has made them useful for laying along tracks for night walking. The scales are a dark brown and are often twisted and glossy.
The silver fern occurrs on the main island of New Zealand east to the Chatham Islands, mostly in the subcanopy areas of drier forests and in open scrub. It is known to grow well in well-drained humus, and once established, it will tolerate dryer conditions. It does best when sheltered from winds and should be protected from frost.
Silver fern in culture
The silver fern is used as an emblem on the clothing and marketing of many sports teams; it is used most famously as the logo of the All Blacks New Zealand rugby team.
The Silver Ferns is the name of the New Zealand netball team, world champions in 2003 in Jamaica.
The Silver Fern was the name of an express passenger train.
References
- Braggins , John E. and Large, Mark F. Tree Ferns. Timber Press (2004). ISBN 0881926302