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Scientific Name
Todea barbara
Family Name
OSMUNDACEAE
Common Name
Austral king-fern
Status
Height
1.5m (150cm)
Flowers
None
Fruit
Spores
Form
Fern with massive, broad trunk, black and fibrous outside, fronds erect, numerous, bipinnate, leathery.
Municipalities
Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Derwent Valley; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Huon Valley; Kentish; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar
Communities
Coastal Vegetation; Heath; Rainforest; Wet and dry eucalypt forest
Habitat Notes
Common and widespread particularly in the north and west of the state. Occurs below 300m in rainforest, wet anddry sclerophyll forest, heathland and, less commonly, up to 500m on wet rock faces.Will tolerate boggy soils and salt laden winds in coastal situations. Appears to be intolerant of seasonally dry soils.
Site Tolerance
Exposed; Moist; Shady; Waterlogged; Windy
Frost Tolerance
Soil Tolerance
Fertile; Loam; Poor; Poorly-drained; Sandy; Well-drained; Wet rock faces
General Notes
Fronds, or portions of fronds, containing ripe spores can be placed in a paper bag which is left upright in a dry and draught-free place. Spores should begin to release immediately and all spores are released within days unless the species has tough, leathery fronds. Spores settle at the bottom of the bag. Spores are short-lived and should be sown fresh. After sowing specks of green appear within 2-4 weeks. These are the young prothalli and during the next 6-12 months they are at risk from overcrowding and pathogens. When the first fronds appear the sporelings can be slowly hardened by gradual removal of the container cover. Great care must be taken to avoid drying out. Prick out sporelings when the second frond appears. Slow growing. Suitable below powerlines.
Propagation Details
Propagation Calendar
Flowering Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Collecting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sowing Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Cutting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Information
Seed Collection
Globular sori on basal pinnae, naked on forked veins. appear as a brown powdery mass with age. old sori persistent; spores green.spores are collected when mature on the frond
Seed Treatment Method
Standard
Seed Storage Life
Viable Seeds Per Gram
Seed Treatment Notes
Sow spores into a pot in a water retaining medium with good drainage. Sterilise medium & containerwith boiling water and sow spores bysprinkling a small amount onto the surface of the cooled medium. Cover immediately with clean glass or plastic wrap and leave in a warm area in strong light but not direct sunlight.
Germination Time
Suitable for Direct Seeding
Cuttings
Expected Time to Take Root
Expected Time to Plant Out
Propagation by Division
N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.
Cutting Notes
This species is suitable for tub culture or easily grown in a protected position in the ground.
Copyright 2000-2009, Understorey Network Incorporated. Updated 2024-10-12
Database development and website design by
Andrew Smith