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NZ Plants
Dicksonia squarrosa - wheki, rough tree fern
Family: Dicksoniaceae
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Plants
L Jensen
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Underground runners give rise to young plants
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Trunk, with dormant bud
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Trunk with actively growing bud
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Frond stalks (stipes) with hairs
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Detached hairs
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Upper region of trunk with attached bases of old frond stipes
L Jensen
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Lower region of trunk, fine roots form a tough sheath adding support and may join together adjacent plants.
L Jensen
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Mature frond
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Mature frond upper surface, rachis with leaflets
L Jensen
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Young frond upper surface, rachis with leaflets
L Jensen
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Young frond upper surface, hair detail
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Young leaflet with hairs
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Young leaflet lower surface, midrib with hairs
L Jensen
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Young frond, hair detail
L Jensen
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Mature sterile frond, upper surface of leaflets
L Jensen
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Mature fertile frond, upper surface of leaflets
L Jensen
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Fertile leaflet, lower surface
L Jensen
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Dicksonia squarrosa is distinguished by its slender trunks with persistent basal portion of frond stalks (rachis) and an untidy crown of harsh fronds. Underground stolons are formed which give rise to new plants resulting in groves of closely-spaced plants. Buds also tend to form on the trunk. Shedding of old fronds occurs when the stipes break some distance above their point of attachment to the trunk, leaving the surface covered with broken stipes.
An endemic species found throughout New Zealand.
Vegetative characteristics |
Fertile frond and sporangia |
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Plant form: slender trunk up to 8 m with fronds up to 3 m in length |
Frond appearance: similar to sterile frond |
Frond stalk, midrib: hairs |
Sporangium location: on lower frond surface |
Frond shape: elliptic |
Sporangium position: leaflet margin |
Frond blade: 3-4 pinnate (divided 3-4 x into leaflets or pinnae) |
Sporangia distribution: in groups (sori) |
Frond surface: harsh, leathery |
Sorus shape: circular |
Leaflets: sterile tapering and pointed; fertile tapering with reflexed margins and tips somewhat rounded |
Sorus covering: reflexed margiln and indusium |
