Dicksonia lanata subsp. hispida
Common names
stumpy tree fern
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Simplified description
Small tree fern with a short trunk and pale brown-stalked dark-green stiff leaves to 2 m long inhabiting kauri forests. Trunk to 2 m tall, sparsely covered by old leaves. Leaf stems covered in small hairs (lens needed). Sporangia in small capsules at the edge of fronds undersides.
Detailed description
For a detailed description see Flora of New Zealand
Similar taxa
Dicksonia lanata subsp. lanata from which it is most easily distinguished by the presence of a small trunk which may be up to 2 m tall. However, the fronds are also usually dark green rather than glaucous green. There are other minor cryptic characters which also separate the two varieties.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Te Paki south to the Bombay Hills and Tararu Valley, Coromandel Peninsula).
Habitat
Virtually confined to kauri (Agathis australis) forest where it is often the characteristic understorey fern, growing with Astelia trinervia and Gahnia xanthocarpa. Also occurs in cloud forest in some of the western ranges of Northland.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Dicksonia lanata var. hispida Colenso
Taxonomic notes
Dicksonia lanata subsp. hispida is probably worthy of species rank. In the upper Tararu Valley, Coromandel Peninsula both subspecies are virtually sympatric.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Propagation technique
Easy from spores. Can be grown from rooted pieces but rather slow. Prefers a deep, cool soil enriched with leaf litter. Slow to establish.
Other information
Etymology
dicksonia: After James Dickson (1738-1822), British botanist and nuseryman
lanata: Woolly
hispida: Roughly hairy
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
DICLSH
Chromosome number
2n = 130
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, PD, RR
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.