Dicksonia lanata facts for kids

Dicksonia lanata is a type of fern that grows only in New Zealand. This means it's endemic to New Zealand, you won't find it naturally anywhere else in the world! People also call it the stumpy tree fern, tūākura, or tūōkura.

How to Spot the Stumpy Tree Fern

You can easily tell Dicksonia lanata apart from other Dicksonia ferns in New Zealand. Look at its frond stalks, which are called stipes. This fern has long, green or light brown stipes. Other similar ferns have different stipes:

• Dicksonia squarrosa has dark brown stipes.
• D. fibrosa has very short stipes.

Meet the Two Subspecies

There are two main types, or subspecies, of Dicksonia lanata. They look a bit different and grow in different places.

Dicksonia lanata subsp. lanata

This subspecies is special because it doesn't have a tall trunk like most tree ferns. It grows in higher areas of the North Island, starting from the Coromandel Peninsula and going south. It's not very common in the southern part of the North Island. You can also find it in the northern and western parts of the South Island.

Besides not having a trunk, you can spot subsp. lanata by the fuzzy, woolly hairs. These hairs grow in little clumps where the veins meet on the underside of its fronds (the fern leaves).

Dicksonia lanata subsp. hispida

This subspecies grows in the northern North Island. You can find it from the Kaipara Harbour northwards, and also on Great Barrier Island. Unlike its cousin, subsp. hispida does have a trunk. This trunk can grow up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) tall!

The underside of its fronds doesn't have those woolly hair tufts that subsp. lanata has. Subspecies hispida often grows near kauri trees in their forests. A scientist named William Colenso first described these northern plants in 1844. At first, they were thought to be just a different variety, but in 2014, scientists decided they were different enough to be called a separate subspecies.

How They Grow

Both subspecies of Dicksonia lanata can spread out. They do this using underground stems called stolons. This means they can form large, tangled groups or colonies. Subspecies lanata is especially good at this. It can even cover big areas of the ground, especially in the mountain ranges in the central-eastern North Island. These areas include places like Te Urewera, Kaimanawa, Kaweka, and Ruahine.