Overview
wheki-ponga
Dicksonia fibrosa is widespread but only common in the central North Island. It prefers colder areas.
It is easily recognised by its retention of a ‘skirt’ of dead fronds around its trunk. Cyathea smithii also retains a skirt, but of just the stems rather than the whole fronds. The green, relatively short frond stalks of Dicksonia fibrosa allow even immature plants to be distinguished from D. lanata (frond stalks long and green to orange-brown) and D. squarrosa (long and dark brown). The trunk of Dicksonia fibrosa can reach a comparatively massive girth.
Dicksonia fibrosa is similar to the Australian D. antarctica, which is cultivated around the world.