Please select root levels for the menu
NZ Plants
Cyathea smithii - katote, soft tree fern
Family: Cyatheaceae
-
Plants
L Jensen
View picture -
Trunk with persistant dead frond stalks (stipes)
L Jensen
View picture -
Crown of fronds from above
L Jensen
View picture -
Crown with young fronds, stipes covered in scales
L Jensen
View picture -
Stipe with scales
L Jensen
View picture -
Sterile frond upper surface, midrib (rachis) with leaflets
L Jensen
View picture -
Sterile frond upper surface, leaflets and rachis
L Jensen
View picture -
Sterile frond lower surface, rachis with leaflets
L Jensen
View picture -
Fertile frond upper surface, leaflets and midrib
L Jensen
View picture -
Fertile frond lower surface, leaflets with sori
L Jensen
View picture -
Fertile frond lower surface. midrib with linear scales and stellate scales
L Jensen
View picture -
Ferrtile frond midrib with short stellate scales
L Jensen
View picture -
Sori with cup-shaped indusium covering at base
L Jensen
View picture
Cyathea smithii is characterised by-green frond stalks (stipes) with golden scales and golden stellate hairs on the underside of horizontally held soft fronds. When fronds senesce, they persist as a skirt of dead stipes and rachises.
An endemic species found on the North Island south to Dunedin on the South Island.
Vegetative characteristics |
Fertile frond and sporangia |
|---|---|
Plant form: trunks up to 20 m bearing fronds up to 2. 5 m in length |
Frond appearance: similar to sterile frond |
Frond stalk, midrib: scales lacking marginal spines |
Sporangium location: on lower frond surface |
Frond shape: elliptic |
Sporangium position: away from leaflet margin |
Frond blade: 3-pinnate (divided 3x into leaflets or pinnae) |
Sporangia distribution: in groups (sori) |
Frond surface: hairs and scales on underside |
Sorus shape: circular |
Leaflets: oblong, round- toothed margins, pointed at the tip; attached along leaflet base (adnate) |
Sorus covering: saucer-shaped covering (indusium) |
