This native of New Zealand and adjacent islands grows to 20 m tall with fronds up to 6m long. It’s name seems to link to the very dark appearance of the trunk caused by dark brown/black scales cover it and spread over the leaf stalks. Our young specimen, just arrived from Bowden Hostas, has a long way to go before it reaches that size.
Our specimen is planted in the ‘Australia’ area of the tropical glasshouse in a mixture of compost from our grounds yard, plus sand, grit, orchid bark and Seramis granules to provide a rich organic soil that is both moisture retentive and free draining.
For more information try reading:
http://www.forestferns.co.uk/tree-ferns/cyathea/cyathea-medullaris
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyathea_medullaris
