Cyathea smithii

Origin: New Zealand

This is a rather large Tree Fern with a slender trunk coming from the cool mountain forests of New Zealand, especially the South Island, as well as the subantarctic Auckland Islands, thus making it the most southerly growing of all Tree Ferns. Trunks will reach an ultimate height of up to 8 metres (26 feet). Fronds are tripinnate with a length when mature of 2.5 metres (9 feet). It has a very beautiful habit with its broad, soft fronds; and the stipes have dark scales and a yellow midrib.

Rather than uncurling in the manner of most tree ferns, in which the main frond stalk unrolls almost to its full length before the "frondlets" (pinnae) unroll, the fronds tend to expand all at once up the length of the frond.

In its native habitat the fronds often leave a skirt around the slender, fibrous trunk after they have died, which allows other ferns and epiphytes to grow on the lower parts of the trunk. The stipes hanging over the trunk are very characteristic of this species and make it easy to identify among other New Zealand species of tree fern.

This is one of the more cold hardy of New Zealand's tree ferns, though it still remains largely untested in cultivation to date. I have had a young plant outdoors in a sheltered spot for 5 years now and it has survived without any protection. I got it not realising that it was potentially 'tender', but it has gone from strength to strength over the past 5 years.

I have mixed results with the larger trunked plants. My experience is that it is an absolute must for this plant to be sheltered form strong winds and it also will stress and defoliate very easily if it is let dry out. Having said all of that if you do give it the conditions that it needs it will reward you with a wonderfully graceful fern to enjoy all year round.

To summarise again the ideal conditions for this plant is to place it in a cool moist site, sheltered from the wind - very important. It is much less happy in exposed sunny situations than other New Zealand tree ferns and should be given a forest-like setting where possible. It should also be kept moist, as it is likely to have a very low tolerance for dryness.

This is quite a difficult tree fern to re establish after a lengthy trip on a container and attrition rates are quite high. Quantities available are extremely small and this is one for the collector only.

Picture shows a Cyathea smithii thriving in conditions outlined above in Kerry.

Origin : New Zealand
Common Name : Katote, Soft Tree Fern
Hardy scale : Hardy to around -6 Celsius
N.B. Needs to be planted ina sheltered spot. Will not tolerate a windy situation.

Size (feet) Size (cm)	Price	Availability
Young plants - no trunk	€ 15.00	presently un-available
2 foot trunk (60cm)	€ 190.00	available
3 foot trunk (90cm)	€ 280.00	available
4 foot trunk (120cm)	€ 375.00	presently un-available

May 2008 News Update -

New stock of Juania australis, Agave montana, Agave gentryi, Trachycarpus wagnerianus, Trachycarpus martianus 'Nepal Form' and many more.

Xanthorrhoea glauca GrassTree -

Picture of X. glauca in my garden 2005

X. glauca Grasstree - Prices start at €275.00

Dicksonia fibrosa Tree Fern carvings now available -

Sample photo of carving that we have in stock:

Beautiful, natural, sculptures in many forms from Dicksonia fibrosa and Black Mamaku