Cyathea brownii (Spaeropteris excelsa)

Description

Cyathea brownii (Spaeropteris excelsa) is a large tree fern originating from the Norfolk Islands deep in the Pacific Ocean ean off the coast of Australia.  It is one largest in the family of Cyathea, now reclassified as Sphaeropteris excelsa; the original name Cyathea brownii, is not a hint to its brown colour but a reference to the first western explorer who discovered it, Robert Brown back in 1801.  

Sphaeropteris excelsa is a majestic plant capable of reaching the heady height of up to 20 metres with fronds  5 or more metres long!  For us gardeners here, this size is unlikely but given a cool frost free environment it makes a wonderful large, very exotic looking specimen relatively quickly.  Hasn’t been grown in the UK to fully test its hardiness but plants in favourable protected gardens are seen to be surviving and growing well.