Dicksonia
Encyclopedia
Dicksonia is a genus of tree ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is regarded as related to Cyathea
, but is considered more primitive, dating back at least to the Jurassic
and Cretaceous
periods. The fossil record includes stems, pinnules, and spore
s.
The genus contains 20-25 species, distributed from Mexico
to Uruguay
and Chile
, St. Helena, New Zealand
, Australia
, Indonesia
, New Guinea
, and the Philippines
. New Guinea has the greatest diversity, with five species.
An easily cultivated species of Dicksonia is D. antarctica
, the soft tree fern.
The genus was first described by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
in 1788. The name honors James Dickson
, a prominent nurseryman and botanist.
Cyathea
Cyathea is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. They are mostly terrestrial ferns, usually with a single tall stem. Rarely, the trunk may be branched or creeping. Many species also develop a fibrous mass of roots at the base of the trunk. The genus has a pantropical...
, but is considered more primitive, dating back at least to the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
and Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
periods. The fossil record includes stems, pinnules, and spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s.
The genus contains 20-25 species, distributed from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, St. Helena, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. New Guinea has the greatest diversity, with five species.
An easily cultivated species of Dicksonia is D. antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica
Dicksonia antarctica, known as the Soft Tree Fern, Man Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern, is an evergreen tree fern native to parts of Australia, namely south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria and Tasmania.- Anatomy and biology :...
, the soft tree fern.
The genus was first described by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle was an 18th century French botanist and magistrate. Born into an affluent upper-class Parisian family, connections with the French Royal Court secured him the position of Superindent of Parisian Waters and Forests at the age of twenty-six...
in 1788. The name honors James Dickson
James Dickson (biologist)
James Dickson was a Scottish nurseryman, plant collector, botanist and mycologist. Between 1785 and 1801 he published his Fasciculus plantarum cryptogamicarum Britanniae, a four-volume work in which he published over 400 species of algae and fungi that occur in the British Isles...
, a prominent nurseryman and botanist.
Species
- Dicksonia antarcticaDicksonia antarcticaDicksonia antarctica, known as the Soft Tree Fern, Man Fern or Tasmanian Tree Fern, is an evergreen tree fern native to parts of Australia, namely south-east Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Victoria and Tasmania.- Anatomy and biology :...
, Soft Tree Fern, Tasmanian Tree Fern. Australia. - Dicksonia arborescensDicksonia arborescensThe Saint Helena Tree Fern is a characteristic plant of the "tree fern thicket" vegetation of the highest parts of the central ridge of the island of Saint Helena....
, St. HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha... - Dicksonia archboldii, New Guinea
- Dicksonia baudouini, New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
- Dicksonia berteriana, Juan Fernández IslandsJuan Fernández IslandsThe Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
- Dicksonia blumei, Indonesia, Philippines
- Dicksonia brackenridgei, FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in... - Dicksonia externa, Juan Fernández IslandsJuan Fernández IslandsThe Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...
- Dicksonia fibrosa, Woolly Tree Fern, Kuripaka or Wheki-ponga. New Zealand.
- Dicksonia grandis, New Guinea
- Dicksonia herbertii, Northeastern Queensland, Australia
- Dicksonia hieronymi, New Guinea.
- Dicksonia lanata, Tuokuro. New Zealand.
- Dicksonia lanigera, New Guinea.
- Dicksonia mollis, Indonesia.
- Dicksonia sciurus, New Guinea.
- Dicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowianaDicksonia sellowiana, the xaxim, or samambaiaçu or samambaiaçu-imperial, is an arborescent fern. Belongs to the family Dicksoniaceae, native to the Atlantic Forest and Central America. In Brazil it is found in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio...
, Xaxim, Samambaiuçu (in PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
). Southern Mexico through Central America and Northern South America to BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Uruguay. - Dicksonia squarrosa, New Zealand Tree Fern, Slender Tree Fern, Rough Tree Fern, Wheki. New Zealand.
- Dicksonia steubelii, Northern PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - Dicksonia thyrsopteroides, New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. - Dicksonia youngiaeDicksonia youngiaeDicksonia youngiae, common name Bristly Tree Fern, is a fern that comes from cool, sheltered rainforests in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. It is found north of the Bellinger River, in New South Wales, and can be seen in the wild at Nightcap National Park.Similar to D. squarrosa, it...
, Bristly Tree Fern. Australia.
External links
- Community: Care and propagation of Treeferns (German/English)
- Fern Files: Dicksonia