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Tree Fern

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Cyathea cooperi

Plant Number: 30

Common NameTree Fern, scaly tree fern, Turrubul language: Yug’ai

Scientific NameCyathea cooperi

​Derivation of name

Cyathea -  from the Greek kyatheion 'little cup', referring to the shape of the indusium, the enclosing membrane

cooperi - from the Latin cupa 'tun, barrel'

Description 

  •  Tree fern to 12 m
  •  Fronds to 6 metres
  •  Trunk diameter to 18 cm
  •  Straw coloured scales
  •  Often found along watercourses in wet eucalypt forests​

Human uses 

The top of the tree fern was split open and the central growing heart was extracted as it contains a core of white starch.  It was eaten after a process of rinsing away tannin content – roasted or eaten raw; fiddleheads (uncurled fronds) eaten raw or cooked in the hot ashes.

Acknowledgment: Mangroves to Mountains, Bush Heritage, New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Photo Credit: Andreas Lambrianides






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Last reviewed 04 May 2021
Last updated 04 May 2021