Weedy tree fern?

[Paul S]

Often, when trying to grow treeferns from spore, it is the same vigorous plant that appears. Overall it is very similar to Cyathea cooperi but with slightly spiny stipes. I am fairly sure Steve Pope had a name for it but that departed from my brains long ago. It seems to be the one that crops up these days masquerading as Cyathea australis (but it is most certainly not, it is a Sphaeropteris, not an Alsophila). Does anyone remember what it is?

[charlie]

Can't help Paul, but it does illustrate the shame of losing GOTE as you could often find stuff like that (I am pretty sure we haven't had an in depth tree fern discussion on PTB!)

[Paul S]

Aye, you can say that again. The info lost on GOTE, and UK Oasis before it (although that was my fault so I should shut up) has taken on the mythical status of some kind of ante-diluvian civilisation and it's knowledge. People will pass word of these primaeval discussion groups down from generation to generation, forged in the crucible of the early internet. 'They knew how to change base metal into gold, you know'. 'They even knew how to grow Cordyline indivisa'.

There, you know I am being silly now.

[David F]

Frustrating how ephemeral internet info can be, while so much inane drivel is around forever. AI is going to make it infinitely worse.

[LostInJapan]

Hi Paul. The only species that come to mind are C. atrox and C. gleichenoides, and neither are very scaly, and are relatively rare in cultivation. A more probable culprit would be a Hypolepis species. They seem to end up everywhere. As for the ephemeral nature/questionable quality of internet information, it's kind of like food culture nowadays: folks are overfed, yet undernourished, and probably won't last long. Old man rant, I know. Steve has been missed for years now, and sadly his knowledge left with him.

[Paul S]

Tom, I'm pretty sure you have got it - C. atrox. I had forgotten about that but it is a good fit. Why or how that becomes a weedy fern I have no idea. Rare in cultivation unless you buy a spore raised Cyathea australis and end up with one!

You want an old man rant? :D I don't think current generation are interested in knowing things, just having things. I was 'bullied' into starting an Instagram page and it strikes me that this medium is so shallow and typifies society today. Someone posts a picture of a lovely shiny thing. Someone then posts a comment 'what a lovely shiny thing!' and 100 people 'like' it. Yet try to engage someone about something - the format is clunky for that anyway - and nobody seems interested.

[charlie]

You want an old man rant? :D I don't think current generation are interested in knowing things, just having things. I was 'bullied' into starting an Instagram page and it strikes me that this medium is so shallow and typifies society today. Someone posts a picture of a lovely shiny thing. Someone then posts a comment 'what a lovely shiny thing!' and 100 people 'like' it. Yet try to engage someone about something - the format is clunky for that anyway - and nobody seems interested.

Glad its not just me, my children said "you ought to have an Instagram page" still cant see the point :)

[Fof]

A bit off topic but I took this pic of C. australis, growing in the Bunya mountains, when I lived in Oz.

[Taffy]

Tom, I'm pretty sure you have got it - C. atrox.

It's my understanding that to separate the fern in question from the true Atrox, it was attributed the monika atrox var atrox. I grew it myself (first two pics) but it's as true to atrox as I am to Shirley Temple. The true atrox ,as with most PNG grassland Cyathea has a cycad look to it, short leather fronds. Other examples would be Tomentosissima, Gleichenioides, Macgregorii . (The true Atrox is pictured with Marcus Lehnert) ...

[Paul S]

Thanks Shirley :D So it is the same old thing as the tomentosissimum everyone grew not being tomentosissimum at all but most likely a form of cooperi?

Did you find your atrox var. atrox, if that is what we are going to call it, any hardier than cooperi? I seem to recall Steve thought it might be.

Does make you wonder how all these high altitude PNG ferns ended up being so badly understood and wrongly labelled. Maybe botanists were on the menu as PNG was one of the last places on the planet where cannibalism was practiced. :lol: