Sphaeropteris cooperi
Common name
tree fern
Synonyms
Cyathea cooperi (F.Muell.) Domin
Family
Cyatheaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Ferns
Conservation status
Not applicable
Flower colours
No flowers
Life cycle
Hard to distinguish from natives, there is a possibility that it might hybridise.
Year naturalised
1993
Origin
Australia
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
Taxonomy
Currently it is unclear if the tree fern attributed to Sphaeropteris cooperi in New Zealand is that species or the Norfolk Island Sphaeropteris excelsa (Cyathea brownii), or if both species are present here (both have been cultivated in New Zealand in the past, and so naturalisation from either of them is now possible). For the time being the name used here for naturalised occurrences accords with that accepted by the N.Z. eFlora (Brownsey & Perrie 2015).
References and further reading
Brownsey PJ, Perrie LR. 2015. Cyatheaceae. In: Breitwieser I, Heenan PB, Wilton AD. Flora of New Zealand - Ferns and Lycophytes. Fascicle 13. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, NZ.
https://doi.org/10.7931/B10595.
Gardner R. 1994. Cyathea cooperi naturalised in Auckland. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 49: 43–44.