Sphaeropteris medullaris
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The Black Tree Fern (Cyathea medullaris) is a species of large tree fern endemic to New Zealand. The Black Tree Fern is called Mamaku in the Maori language.
This fern is found to grow to heights of 20 m. It is the largest of the tree fern species endemic to New Zealand.
The Black Tree Fern is an evergreen species; indeed the New Zealand bush where it is at home is evergreen due to the very mild climate. Groups of lightly interspersed Black Tree Ferns are common sights and very prominent on the rather steep but thoroughly overgrown slopes of the North Island volcanic landscape. The picture shows a typical view in the Waitakere Regional Park near Auckland.
Despite the vibrant green of their overall appearance the Black Tree Fern does his name right in many regards. The base (the stipe) of each mature frond is black with a rather bluish tinge if seen from the underside. Also the fiddleheads are covered in a dark brown furry layer of plant material.
To the casual observer, Black Tree Ferns with their typical habitus might look more akin to palm trees than to woody trees, but they are of course not at all closely related tho either. The fronds of the Black Tree Fern have rather little overlap and do not shade each other too much.
The Black Tree Fern has no secondary growth and no wood. Nevertheless, tree fern stalks in general, certainly including the Black Tree Fern as well, have be are used occasionally as building mterial and they are still used for makeshift trackwork.
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