Cyathea dealbata
Underside of silver fern frond
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Pteridophyta Order: Cyatheales Family: Cyatheaceae Genus: Cyathea Subgenus: Cyathea Section: Alsophila Species: C. dealbata
Binomial name
Cyathea dealbata (G. Forster) Swartz, 1801
Synonyms
Polypodium dealbatum G. Forster, 1786 Cyathea tricolor Colenso, 1883 Alsophila tricolor (Colenso) Tryon, 1970

Cyathea dealbata (Silver Tree Fern or Silver Fern; Māori names Kaponga, Ponga) is a species of medium-sized tree fern endemic to New Zealand.^[1] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 841 KB) Silver fern: shows silvery underside on frond. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern, or pteridophyte, is any one of a group of some twenty thousand species of plants classified in the Division Pteridophyta, formerly known as Filicophyta. ... Familes and Genera Cyatheaceae     Alsophila     Cnemidaria     Cyathea     Sphaeropteris     Trichipteris Dicksoniaceae     Calochleana     Cibotium     Culcita     Cystodium     Dicksonia     Thyrsopteris Losophoriaceae     Lophosoria Loxomaceae     Loxoma     Loxsomopsis Metaxyaceae     Metaxya The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern (Division Pteridophyta) subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the Tree ferns. ... Genera Alsophila Cnemidaria Cyathea Sphaeropteris The Cyatheaceae is a family of fern that includes the worlds tallest tree ferns, which reach heights up to 20 m. ... Species See text Cyathea is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. ... Sections Alsophila Cyathea Cyathea is a subgenus in the genus Cyathea. ... Alsophila is a section in the subgenus Cyathea. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ... Māori or Te Reo Māori, commonly shortened to Te Reo (literally the language) is an official language of New Zealand. ... Tree Fern refers to any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ...

This fern is known to grow to heights of 10 m or more (though it occasionally takes a rare creeping form). The crown is dense, and the fronds tend to be about 4 m long and have a silver-white colouration on the undersides. This distinctive silver colouration has made them useful for laying along tracks for night walking. The scales are a dark brown and are often twisted and glossy.

Arriving relatively late in New Zealand's history during the Pliocene epoch^[2] (around 5 - 1.8 million years ago), the silver fern occurs on the main islands of New Zealand east to the Chatham Islands, mostly in the subcanopy areas of drier forests and in open scrub. It is known to grow well in well-drained humus, and once established, it will tolerate drier conditions. It does best when sheltered from winds and should be protected from frost. It does not grow under the dense canopy of mature forests. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Chatham Islands from space. ... Humus is a word actually used for two different things, which are both related to soil and thus get used interchangeably. ...

Silver fern in culture

• The silver fern is also used as an emblem on the clothing and marketing of many sports teams; it is used most famously as the logo of the All Blacks New Zealand Rugby Union team and the Black Caps New Zealand Cricket team.
• The Silver Ferns is the name of the New Zealand netball team, world champions in 2003 in Jamaica.
• The Silver fern is also used in politics - it features on the logos of Jim Anderton's Progressive Party and United Future New Zealand.
• The Silver Fern is also the name of a passenger train.
• The koru symbol found in Māori art is said to be inspired by the shape of a young ponga frond.
• Silver fern leaves appear on the Coat of arms of New Zealand.
• Many alternative flags for New Zealand, such as the Silver fern flag, use the Silver fern.

First international Australia 3 - 22 New Zealand (15 August 1903) Largest win New Zealand 145 - 17 Japan (4 June 1995) Worst defeat Australia 28 - 7 New Zealand (28 August 1999) World Cup Appearances 5 (First in 1987) Best result Champions, 1987 The All Blacks are New Zealands national rugby... A rugby union scrum. ... The New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps, played their first Test in 1930 vs England in Christchurch, New Zealand. ... The Silver Ferns are the national netball team of New Zealand. ... Netball is a sport similar to and derived from basketball, and was originally known in its country of origin, the United States, as womens basketball. Invented by Clara Gregory Baer[1], a pioneer in womens sport, it is now the pre-eminent womens team sport (both as... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Progressive Party is a political party in New Zealand. ... Current United Future logo United Future New Zealand is a political party in the New Zealand parliament with three MPs -- one electorate MP (leader Peter Dunne) and two list MPs (see MMP for the difference). ... The NZR RM class Silver Fern is a class of railcar used for rail passenger transport in New Zealand. ... The koru is the Maori name given to the newborn, unfurling fern frond and symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. ... Languages Māori, English Religions Māori religion, Christianity Related ethnic groups other Polynesian peoples, Austronesian peoples The word Māori refers to the indigenous people of New Zealand and their language. ... To the right is the Coat of Arms of New Zealand. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The Flag of New Zealand is a defaced blue ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. ... The Silver fern flag is often flown next to the current flag of New Zealand The Silver fern flag is sometimes seen as an unofficial flag of New Zealand, in several variants. ...

Notes

1. ^ The Māori word ponga (IPA:'poŋa) has been borrowed into New Zealand English as a generic term for tree ferns. It is also used to refer to tree fern logs when used for landscaping purposes. English speakers generally pronounce the word as punga (IPA:'pʌŋə).
2. ^ Parsons, Stuart; et al. (2006). Biology Aotearoa. Pearson Education New Zealand. ISBN 1 877268 00 3. 

References

• Braggins, John E. & Large, Mark F. 2004. Tree Ferns. Timber Press, Inc., pp. 120-121. ISBN 0-88192-630-2
• The International Plant Names Index: Cyathea dealbata