Cyathea cunninghamii - gully tree fern, slender tree fern Very beautiful tree fern with an incredibly tall and slender trunk. Native to Australia and New Zealand. The fronds are quite delicate and grow to about 6-7' long. The stipe and rachis are blackish, warty and covered in brown scales. Small pinnae are produced at the base of each frond, forming a "wig" around the crown (pictured below).
It is uncommon and prefers to grow in cool, shady, humid gullys, in wet forest, out of which it emerges, to sometimes attain a height of 70' or more, with a trunk that is usually only 6" in diameter. Amazing.
In the wild C. cunninghamii hybrdises with C. australis to form the fertile hybrid C. x marcescens.
Unfortunately this tree fern is not frost hardy. I had two growing outside in my garden for four years, sadly they both perished last winter 2008/09.
To do well in cultivation Cyathea cunninghamii requires a sheltered frost free site, protected from the wind, with plentiful moisture.
