New young Dicksonia naturalise in Australian Section

August 11th

Dicksonia antarctica Tree Fern Regeneration

Since we planted our Dicksonia antarctica in 2005 we’ve been keeping an eye open to see of we have any natural regeneration.  We had assessed the viability of spores in vitro on several occasions and had successfully grown prothalli that had developed onwards into young ferns. It appears we had been looking in the wrong location, expecting young ferns to arise in the shady, humid and moister zone in the ravine benath the parent Tree Ferns.  A little distance away on a hillock dominated by self sown divaricate Coprosma spp.  there are some mossy rocks that have become home to these self regenerated baby Tree Ferns.