Alsophila tricolor, synonym Cyathea dealbata, [1] commonly known as the silver fern[2] or silver tree-fern, [3] or as ponga / ˈpɒŋə / or punga / ˈpʌŋə / (from Māori kaponga or ponga), [note 1] is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand.

Oct 29, 2020 · Are the underside of the leaves a white or silvery colour? If so, the tree fern is a ponga – the silver fern, a species of tree fern only found in New Zealand. Ponga can also be identified by the white tinge of their fronds’ stalks.

In rongoā Māori/Māori medicine ponga gum is taken to evict parasites worming through our intestines, and the pith (the soft cellular tissue) is known as an antiseptic. Look for them: At ZEALANDIA, the most prominent ponga can be seen alongside Te Māhanga Track.

Jan 10, 2020 · Ponga Or Silver Fern (Cyathea dealbata) This is the iconic silver fern of the country of New Zealand. The most distinguishing characteristic is the whitish or silver colour on the undersides of the fronds. Also, the trunk is not smooth, rather it’s covered in the bases of the broken off fronds.

The ‘silver fern’ Cyathea dealbata – ponga in te reo Māori – is a species of tree fern only found in New Zealand. Although they are called ‘silver ferns’, the undersides of the fronds are usually white; only in some northern populations are they actually ‘silver’.

Jun 12, 2013 · Ponga is the silver fern Cyathea dealbata, which is a real plant and not just a marketing creation! Adult ponga are immediately recognisable by the white undersides of their fronds, and they can be identified even at a distance by the white tinge of their fronds’ stems.

The current consensus among New Zealand and Cook Island botanists (as represented by the NZ Plant Conservation Network and the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust databases) recognizes two tree-fern families in our parts of Polynesia: Cyatheaceae, the scaly tree ferns (Ponga, Mamaku and 5 other related species in Aotearoa, all in the genus ...

In Summer and during any dry period water roots and trunk at least 3 times per week, other times twice per week in the absence of good rainfall, a good deep water is required rather than light sprinkle. Fallacy - you drench ferns from the top and they will always grow!

Ponga (silver fern) grows in the North Island and the east and north of the South Island. Its fronds have a distinctive silver underside. Māori laid them silver-side up as track markers – in the dark they were lit up by burning torches. The leaves of rangiora were used in the same way.

Cyathea dealbata is easily distinguished by the silver-white undersides of mature fronds. It naturally grows in lowland and hill country forests up to about 700m altitude. Cyathea dealbata tolerates drought better than most other tree ferns and enjoys warm summers but …