Cyathea australis

[Kailua_Krish]

Hi all,

I recently got what is supposed to be a C. australis (not cooperi hopefully). Does anyone have any experience growing this plant and any suggestions of how to grow it, particularly in areas with hot and humid summers but frosty drier winters? I have D. antarctica which has done well in my garden and I understand they are from similar habitats so I thought Id give this one a try. Thanks for any help given!

-Krishna

[Eric in Orlando]

We have one growing here in moist shade, about 10 ft tall. So far it looks similar to C. cooperi. I hope it isn't but I got it from a reputable seller.

Here is an older photo. Behind it is C. brownii.

[zootropical]

Eric,

How old is your plant?

Sincerely.

[edbrown_III]

Eric, whats the secret ? I have grown them up to 6 foot many times also C medularis , C brownii, and a few othersand a few others Termites always get them tho so I kind of gave up . Bummer, I got some of the supposed Cyathea australis offa Ebay a few years back from the palm grower but these sure wernt C. australis. thers a difference in the scales plus other factors. tooka chance on hope and spent 125 bucks for C. cooperi .. C. australis was the old 1950's and 1960's name for C. cooperi just like queen palm was Cocos plumosa and Jelly palm Cocos australis Best regards and good luck Ed

[Kailua_Krish]

That does look a lot like C. cooperi, apparently these often get sold as the same plant and Ive found countless threads across the web of people discussing it, a particularly good thread is on hardytropicals.co.uk, they say this

the stipes are like sand paper and the croziers have a dark brown snake skin like scales not fluffy looking like cooperi. When cooperi's fronds have finished they fall of on mature plants and produce a hexagonal shape on the up forming trunk, compared to Australis that the bottom of the stipe stays attached.

Another way they say you can distinguish them is that cooperi has white and brown hairs on the croziers while australis only has brown.

[Tropicgardener]

Cyathea australis is far more common in the temperate rainforests of New South Wales and Victoria than it is in the subtropics........I think from memory it is considered to be very rare in the high altitude upland rainforests of the border ranges (Queensland/New South Wales)......used to see it a lot in the Illawarra area south of Sydney and is quite different to C.cooperi which is common in the subtropical rainforests. Many years ago I grew Cyathea australis in Brisbane but it struggled there.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Eric that is not Cyathea australis ( i know them well as they grow natuarally in some parts of Tasmania .

It is a very well grown Cyathea cooperi !

[edbrown_III]

 

That does look a lot like C. cooperi, apparently these often get sold as the same plant and Ive found countless threads across the web of people discussing it, a particularly good thread is on hardytropicals.co.uk, they say this

the stipes are like sand paper and the croziers have a dark brown snake skin like scales not fluffy looking like cooperi. When cooperi's fronds have finished they fall of on mature plants and produce a hexagonal shape on the up forming trunk, compared to Australis that the bottom of the stipe stays attached.

Another way they say you can distinguish them is that cooperi has white and brown hairs on the croziers while australis only has brown.

You jogged my memory this is how I knew I had bought the fake Cyathea australis

 

[tropicbreeze]

Here's a link for some good info on cooperi and australis:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2003/cyathea-spp.html

[KrisKupsch]

http://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Cyathea%20australis&fq=species:Cyathea%20australis#mapView

Cyathea australis is common in NE NSW and SE QLD and it must be Dicksonia youngiae your mixing up as being rare at high altitudes as C.australis is widespread. It is shorter and has a thicker rougher trunk than cooperi, which I agree is whats photographed. C.australis should grow fine in Brisbane if given sufficient shelter from hot sun. The furtherest north I have seen C.australis is on the Blackdown Tablelands west of Rockhampton. Cyathea cooperi extends north into the wet tropics where it is abundant at all altitudes.

[SanDimas]

Any local source we can purchase in SoCal?

medularis, robusta, brownii, meinzesii

Greatly appreciated.

Ritchy

[edbrown_III]

Fern Factory has these frequently ----

[SanDimas]

Thank you for the info greatly appreciated.

Theyre only 20 miles away in Anaheim.

Thank you thank you.

Ritchy

[SanDimas]

Theres more to life than palms....

Check this out

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/treeferns/#blechnum

[Brian Bruning]

I bought a Cibotium mexicanum from them a few years back. It lasted a year or two but never thrived and eventually died. I bought one as there is a wonderful speciman at the glasshouse in Golden Gate Park. Has anyone down douth had luck with this? Any plantlets to sell or trade? I'd like to try again. Perhaps the site was wrong or something. I have other tree ferns that do fine including the one from Lord Howe Island (C. brownii) which does great here in Oakland.