Alsophila smithii
| Cyathea smithii | |
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| Illustration of Cyathea smithii from The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror. | |
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| Species: | C. smithii
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| Binomial name | |
| Cyathea smithii J. D. Hooker, 1854
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Cyathea smithii,[1] commonly known as the Soft Tree Fern or Katote, is a species of tree fern.
Distribution and ecology
The species natural distribution covers North Island, South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand south to the Auckland Islands. It is common in montane forest, with populations from the southern regions of its range growing in lowland forest. In the Westland forests of South Island, C. smithii occurs in the understory of certain broadleaf/podocarp forests.[2]
Description
Katote is an understory tree fern that grows up to 8m tall but tends not reaching into the canopy as do other iconic members of this genus. It grows slowly and is not a strong competitor except at higher altitudes. Like all Cyathea tree ferns, it has rough scales along it's rachis and trunk. A distinctive feature is the retention of dead fronds as a skirt. The skirt is not the whole frond, only the central rachis, making it a more compact skirt than that of Dicksonia fibrosa, another skirt clad tree fern.
C. Smithii produces masses of very soft and delicate looking fronds which spread horizontally from the crown and reach 2 – 2.5m in length.
Cultivation
Cyathea smithii suffers in exposure to wind, sun and frost and is prone to drying out, but can be grown successfully in sheltered areas.
Uses
Tree fern trunks, including those of C. medullaris, have been used as rough building material and also for makeshift trackwork.
References
- John E. Braggins and Mark F. Large. 2004. Tree Ferns. Timber Press, Inc., p. 260. ISBN 0-88192-630-2
- C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- The International Plant Names Index: Cyathea smithii