Lacy tree fern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lacy tree fern
In Blandys Garden, Madeira
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Alsophila australis var. cervicalis F.M.Bailey Alsophila australis var. excelsa (Endl.) F.M.Bailey Alsophila australis var. pallida Bailey Cyathea cooperi (F.Muell.) Domin Alsophila excelsa var. cooperi (Hook. ex F.Muell.) Domin Alsophila hilliana F.Muell. Cyathea australis var. cervicalis (F.M.Bailey) Domin Cyathea australis var. pallida (Bailey) Domin Cyathea brownii var. cooperi (Hook. ex F.Muell.) Domin Alsophila cooperi F.Muell.

Sphaeropteris cooperi, synonym Cyathea cooperi, also known as lacy tree fern, scaly tree fern, or Cooper's tree fern, is a tree fern native to Australia, in New South Wales and Queensland.

Description

Sphaeropteris cooperi is a medium-to-large fast growing tree fern, to 15 metres (49 ft) in height with a 12-inch (30 cm) thick trunk. The apex of the trunk and unfurling crosiers are particularly attractive, covered as they are with conspicuous long, silky, straw colored scales. The crown is widely spread and the light green fronds may reach a length of 4–6 metres (13–20 ft). It can also very rarely be found in the colour of a pale pink with an orange stripe going down the middle. This is extremely rare and can be worth about 2,000 dollars.

Cultivation

Sphaeropteris cooperi is one of the most commonly cultivated tree ferns as an ornamental plant. It is used in gardens and public landscaping. It is hardy and easy to grow. Heavy frosts may kill the fronds, but plants recover quickly. The plant prefers protected, shady moist conditions but can be grown in sunny areas. It does not do well in full sun and must be well watered. It does not grow in its optimal form in full sun.

Under its synonym Cyathea cooperi it has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

It is sometimes mislabeled in the nursery industry as "Cyathea australis" (a synonym of Alsophila australis).

Habitat

It has naturalised in Western Australia, South Australia, and parts of New South Wales where it is not native. It has also naturalized in Hawaii and has become a problem there as an aggressive invasive species.

Gallery

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  Growing in Makawao, Maui, Hawaiʻi.

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  Detail of trunk and insertion of fronds.

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  Detail of trunk

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  Unfurling crosiers

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  Unfurling crosiers

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  Crown

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  In The Madeira botanical garden

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  Madeira

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  Leaf scars (horizontal trunk)

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  Fertile leaf frond

• Notes on the Status of an Invasive Australian Tree Fern (Cyathea cooperi) in Hawaiian Rain Forests. A. C. Medeiros, L. L. Loope, T. Flynn, S. J. Anderson, L. W. Cuddihy, K. A. Wilson. American Fern Journal, Vol. 82, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1992), pp. 27–33.