Dicksonia is a genus of tree ferns in the order Cyatheales. It is regarded as related to Cyathea, but is considered to retain more primitive traits, dating back at least to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record includes stems, pinnules, and spores.
The genus contains 20–25 species, distributed from Mexico to Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile, St. Helena, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. New Guinea has the greatest diversity, with five species.
Species of Dicksonia found in cultivation include: D. antarctica, soft tree fern D. fibrosa, woolly tree fern D. squarrosa, rough or slender tree fern
The genus was first described by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1788. The name honors James Dickson, a prominent nurseryman and botanist.Dicksonia antarctica – the soft tree fern. Australian National Botanic Gardens. 2008
Species Plants of the World Online as of recognizes the following species: Image Scientific name Distribution Dicksonia amorosoana Philippines (Mindanao) Dicksonia antarctica , soft tree fern, Tasmanian tree fern Australia Dicksonia arborescens St. Helena Dicksonia archboldii New Guinea Dicksonia baudouinii New Caledonia Dicksonia berteroana Juan Fernández Islands Dicksonia blumei Indonesia, Philippines Dicksonia brackenridgei Fiji, Samoa Dicksonia celebica Sulawesi. Dicksonia ceramica Maluku (Seram) Dicksonia externa Juan Fernández Islands Dicksonia fibrosa , woolly tree fern, kuripaka or wheki-ponga New Zealand Dicksonia grandis New Guinea Dicksonia herbertii Northeastern Queensland, Australia Dicksonia hieronymi New Guinea Dicksonia karsteniana Mexico to Venezuela and Bolivia Dicksonia lanata Tuokuro. New Zealand Dicksonia lanigera New Guinea Dicksonia lehnertiana Colombia Dicksonia mollis Indonesia Dicksonia munzingeri Solomon Islands to New Caledonia. Dicksonia perriei New Caledonia Dicksonia sciurus New Guinea Dicksonia sellowiana , xaxim, samambaiuçu (in Portuguese) Southern Mexico through Central America and Northern South America to Bolivia and Uruguay Dicksonia squarrosa , rough tree fern, slender tree fern, New Zealand tree fern, wheki New Zealand Dicksonia stuebelii Northern Peru Dicksonia thyrsopteroides New Caledonia Dicksonia timorensis Lesser Sunda Islands (Timor) Dicksonia utteridgei New Guinea Dicksonia youngiae , bristly tree fern Australia
Phylogeny Phylogeny of Dicksonia Other species include: D. amorosoana Lehnert & Coritico 2018 D. celebica Lehnert 2018 D. ceramica Lehnert 2018 D. externa Skottsberg 1953 D. lehnertiana Noben et al. 2018 D. schlechteri Brause 1912 D. utteridgei Lehnert & Cámara-Leret 2018
References
Large, M.F. and J.E. Braggins Tree Ferns. Timber Press, Inc. (2004). Lobin, Wolfram. List of the American Dicksonia Species. Scientific Authority of Germany, Bonn 2001.
External links Community: Care and propagation of Tree ferns (German/English) Fern Files: Dicksonia L'Héritier's original diagnosis of the genus online on Project Gutenberg External links