New Zealand sporting symbol - the Silver Fern - is (in its plant form) quite common around here.
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| Underside |
It's Maori name is Ponga (not to be confused with Punga which just means tree ferns generally).
This article is very well written advice on how to identify our tree ferns (some of which can grow 20m tall). Around here there are some dense Punga forests which probably represent a transition stage following the logging of the beech forest over 100 years ago, a period of farming and now a return to regenerating native 'bush'.
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| Top side of silver fern |
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| Silver fern - Ponga |
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| Mamaku |
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| Katote |
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| Mamaku |
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| Katote |
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| Wheki (buds on the trunk) |
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| Frond stems on Mamaku |
They are so exotic. Prehistoric looking and other-worldly.
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