Dicksonia antarctica
| Dicksonia antarctica | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 30' |
| Width: | 13' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Dicksonia antarctica (common name: tree fern)
Propagation: Spores - can be sown at any time in a warm greenhouse. Surface sow and enclose the pot in a plastic bag in order to keep it moist. Place in light shade. Germinates in 1 - 3 months at 20°c. Prick out small clumps of plants when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a shaded part of the greenhouse for at least the first 2 years. Plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts. The spores can be stored dry for up to 10 years[1].
Cultivation: Requires a sheltered woodland position and a moist soil[2][1]. Strongly resents drought or dryness at the roots[1].
A very ornamental plant[3], it is hardy to about -5°c[4][1], succeeding outdoors in the milder areas of Britain where it thrives and often self-sows in Cornish gardens[5]. One report says that some forms are hardy to at least -7°c[6]. Plants can tolerate snow but are intolerant of severe frosts[2][1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[7].
The 'trunk' of this plant is merely the decaying remains of earlier growth of the plant and forms a medium through which the roots grow[6]. Plants can be cut down and, if they are kept moist, the top portions can be replanted and will form new roots[6]. The stump, however, will not regenerate since it is simply dead organic matter[6].
It is best to leave old fronds on the plant in order to protect the trunk from cold and desiccation[8].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: Damp sheltered woodland slopes and moist gullies[9].
Edibility: The pith in the upper part of the trunk just below the growing point is eaten raw or roasted[10][11][12][13]. It is rich in starch[14][9] but also contains tannin and is astringent[12]. Descriptions of the taste vary from bitter to sweet, astringent and like a bad turnip[13]. The core of the plant near the growing tip is used[13]. Harvesting the stem kills the plant so this use cannot normally be condoned[13]. The stem contains about 61 kilocalories per 100g[13].
Young leaves - cooked. Harvested just before they unfurl, they are juicy and slimy, tasting like bitter celery[13].
Medicinal: Astringent[12].
Usage: This species is used in New Zealand to stabilize roadside cuttings[1].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Known Hazards: Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable[1].
Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this e
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.