''Dicksonia fibrosa'', the golden tree fern, whekī-ponga or kuripaka (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 C ...

) is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of medium-sized

tree fern The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a 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 (scaly tree ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to New Zealand. ''D. fibrosa'' has a thick, soft and fibrous rusty brown trunk. It holds on to its dead leaves producing a distinctive pale brown skirt, distinguishing it from the related '' Dicksonia squarrosa''. A slow-growing plant, similar to ''

Dicksonia antarctica ''Dicksonia antarctica'', the soft tree fern or man fern, is a species of evergreen tree fern native to eastern Australia, ranging from south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria to Tasmania. Anatomy and biology These ferns ...

'', ''D. fibrosa'' can reach a height of . It requires winter protection in any area that is subject to winter frosts. 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 (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit.

Distribution

''D. fibrosa'' can be found in the South Island, Stewart and Chatham Islands; also in the North Island, but is uncommon north of the Waikato River and Coromandel Peninsula.

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