- Dicksonia arborescens
-
Saint Helena Tree Fern Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pteridophyta Class: Pteridopsida Order: Cyatheales Family: Dicksoniaceae Genus: Dicksonia Species: D. arborescens Binomial name Dicksonia arborescens
L'Hér.The Saint Helena Tree Fern (Dicksonia arborescens) is a characteristic plant of the "tree fern thicket" vegetation of the highest parts of the central ridge of the island of Saint Helena.
It is important as a major component of a vegetation type that is one of the last remnants of the native vegetation. Many of the other endemic plants of this vegetation germinate as seedlings on the trunks of the tree fern, which thus acts as a nursery for the native flora.
The genus Dicksonia contains several species widely dispersed around the world, including the New Zealand tree fern, Dicksonia squarrosa.
See also
References
- Cronk, Q.C.B. (1995) The endemic Flora of St Helena. Anthony Nelson Ltd, Oswestry.
Categories:- IUCN Red List vulnerable species
- Dicksoniaceae
- Fern species
- Flora of Saint Helena Island
- Vulnerable plants
- Fern stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
