Description
Dicksonia youngiae is another Australian Dicksonia species that is endemic to the rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland. To the unaccustomed eye it is not dissimilar to its NZ cousin, Dicksonia squarrosa, with a slender woody trunk that will usually send up multiple trunks from the base. At closer inspection you will see that the hair on the stipes are much more pronounced and have a lovely orange to red hue.
To me is it a very attractive fern and well worth the winter protection it will require where temperatures go below about -4 degrees. In favourable conditions it is a fast grower, putting on up to 10-20cm of trunk per year. It needs to be well watered, sheltered from strong winds and as already mentioned protected from freezing temperatures below -4 degrees. It can be planted in semi shade, but will do best where it gets the heat and light from the sun in moist soil.
