Dicksonia fibrosa

Dicksonia fibrosa
File:Berne botanic garden Dicksonia fibrosa.jpg
Dicksonia fibrosa, Berne Botanical Garden, Switzerland
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pteridophyta
Class:	Pteridopsida
Order:	Cyatheales
Family:	Dicksoniaceae
Genus:	Dicksonia
Species:	D. fibrosa
Binomial name
Dicksonia fibrosa Colenso

Dicksonia fibrosa (common names golden tree fern, and whekī-ponga or kuripaka in Māori) is a species of medium-sized tree fern native 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, D. fibrosa can reach a height of 6 metres (20 ft). It requires winter protection in any area that is subject to winter frosts. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society'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.