Flora of Victoria

Trunk erect, 2–12 m tall, thick; stipe bases persistent and crumbly, but soon hidden by matted, adventitious roots, often extending into buttresses near ground. Fronds narrowly oblong, tapering towards base and tip, up to 4 m long. Stipe short and stout, dark brown, smooth; hairs (at base) 2–3 cm long, coarse and brittle, shiny, red-brown. Lamina 3-pinnate, dark green, comparatively narrow, pinnae gradually reducing in length from 30–40 cm near mid-lamina to 10 cm at base; primary and secondary pinnae oblong with acute to acuminate tips; rachises pale, fawn to straw-coloured, upper surface with numerous hairs, lower surface with fewer hairs. Pinnules attached by full breadth, decurrent, forming wing along rachis; veins free with lateral veinlets unbranched, midveins sparsely hairy underneath; margins of sterile pinnules deeply serrate with curved teeth, fertile pinnules more deeply incised with rounded lobes. Sori as for family, numerous and conspicuous, one per lobe.

CVU, EGL, EGU, GipP, Glep, Gold, GGr, HFE, HNF, HSF, MonT, NIS, OtP, OtR, SnM, Strz, VAlp, VRiv, VVP, WaP, WPro. Also SA (where probably extinct), Qld, NSW, Tas. (including Bass Strait islands). The commonest tree-fern in Victoria, occurring mostly in forested areas of high rainfall of the south and east, particularly in shaded gullies and near streams and waterfalls, ranging from near sea-level to the subalps.

Dicksonia antarctica is most easily distinguished from the Cyathea species by its smooth stipe bases covered in hairs rather than scales, the fibrous matted roots which soon cover much of the trunk and the marginal, 2-valved soral structure. Although trunks usually bear a single crown of fronds, some plants have been noted (e.g. in the Taggerty-Alexandra area) with 6 or more crowns per trunk.

Source: Entwisle, T.J. (1994). Ferns and allied plants (Psilophyta, Lycopodiophyta, Polypodiophyta). In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons. Inkata Press, Melbourne.

life Life

kingdom Plantae

phylum Tracheophyta

class Polypodiopsida

order Cyatheales

family Dicksoniaceae

genus Dicksonia

Higher taxa

species Dicksonia antarctica Labill.

Victoria

**Source:** AVH (2014). *Australia's Virtual Herbarium*, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, <http://avh.chah.org.au>. Find Dicksonia antarctica in AVH ; *Victorian Biodiversity Atlas*, © The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries (published Dec. 2014) Find Dicksonia antarctica in Victorian Biodiversity Atlas

Bioregion	Occurrence status	Establishment means
Glenelg Plain	present	native
Victorian Volcanic Plain	present	native
Victorian Riverina	present	native
Gippsland Plain	present	native
Otway Plain	present	native
Warrnambool Plain	present	native
Goldfields	present	native
Central Victorian Uplands	present	native
Greater Grampians	present	native
Northern Inland Slopes	present	native
East Gippsland Lowlands	present	native
East Gippsland Uplands	present	native
Wilsons Promontory	present	native
Highlands-Southern Fall	present	native
Highlands-Northern Fall	present	native
Otway Ranges	present	native
Strzelecki Ranges	present	native
Monaro Tablelands	present	native
Highlands-Far East	present	native
Victorian Alps	present	native
Snowy Mountains	present	native

Bioregions of Victoria

State distribution

State
South Australia
Queensland
New South Wales
Australian Capital Territory
Victoria
Tasmania

Dicksonia antarctica Labill.

Soft Tree-fern

Victoria

State distribution