Cyathea smithii

Cyathea smithii
Illustration of Cyathea smithii from The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pteridophyta
Class:	Pteridopsida
Order:	Cyatheales
Family:	Cyatheaceae
Genus:	Cyathea
Subgenus:	Cyathea
Section:	Alsophila
Species:	C. smithii
Binomial name
Cyathea smithii J. D. Hooker, 1854
Synonyms
Hemitelia smithii (J. D. Hooker) W. J. Hooker, 1865 Hemitelia stellulata Col., 1886 Alsophila smithii (J. D. Hooker) Tryon , 1970 (non Alsophila smithii Trevis., 1851; quae Alsophila glauca?)

Cyathea smithii,^[1] commonly known as the Soft Tree Fern or Katote, is a species of tree fern.

Distribution and ecology

The species natural distribution covers North Island, South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, and the Chatham Islands of New Zealand south to the Auckland Islands. It is common in montane forest, with populations from the southern regions of its range growing in lowland forest. In the Westland forests of South Island, C. smithii occurs in the understory of certain broadleaf/podocarp forests.^[2]

Cyathea smithii showing stem detail.

Cyathea smithii showing spores.

Cyathea smithii showing habitat and distinctive skirts.

Description

Katote is an understory tree fern that grows up to 8 m tall but tends not reaching into the canopy as do other iconic members of this genus. It grows slowly and is not a strong competitor except at higher altitudes. Like all Cyathea tree ferns, it has rough scales along its rachis and trunk. A distinctive feature is the retention of dead fronds as a skirt. The skirt is not the whole frond, only the central rachis, making it a more compact skirt than that of Dicksonia fibrosa, another skirt clad tree fern.

Cyathea smithii produces masses of very soft and delicate looking fronds which spread horizontally from the crown and reach 2–2.5 m in length.

Cultivation

Cyathea smithii suffers in exposure to wind, sun and frost and is prone to drying out, but can be grown successfully in sheltered areas.

Uses

The pith was traditionally used as a starch source, but as it is rich in resin, it would likely be a food of last resort or at least an acquired taste. Tree fern trunks have been used as rough building material, fencing, and makeshift trackwork.

References

• John E. Braggins and Mark F. Large. 2004. Tree Ferns. Timber Press, Inc., p. 260. ISBN 0-88192-630-2
• C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Crown Fern: Blechnum discolor, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
• The International Plant Names Index: Cyathea smithii

Line notes

1. ^ John E. Braggins and Mark F. Large. 2004
2. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009