Cyathea cooperi
Plant Number: 30
Common Name: Tree Fern, scaly tree fern, Turrubul language: Yug’ai
Scientific Name: Cyathea 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