Plant
King Fern
Todea barbaraAlso known as Crape Fern
King ferns develop massive, woody trunks formed from fibrous root masses that can survive for centuries in sheltered rainforest gullies. Their thick, glossy green fronds arch up to two and a half meters long, bearing heavy spore cases along the under-surfaces of lower pinnae. As living relics of ancient Gondwanan flora, they anchor wet stream banks across Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa.
FernGondwanan RelicAncient Plant
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyPhotosynthetic
Predators
- Feral pigs
- Caterpillars
- Browsing mammals
ThreatsHabitat clearance, stream alteration, weed invasion
HabitatsRainforest gullies, stream margins, wet sclerophyll forests
Life span100–500 years
Classification
- FamilyOsmundaceae
- SpeciesTodea barbara
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Gully Exploration: Look for dense trunks near permanent watercourses in shaded mountain gullies.
- Frond Inspection: Examine the undersides of mature fronds for thick, reddish-brown spore clusters.
- Habitat Care: Avoid stepping on the fibrous root base or breaking delicate young croziers.
Frequent Companion JJ Harrison / CC BY-SA 3.0 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Close Relative E Wusk / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
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