Topic: Urgent tree fern help needed

[bupster]

Arg! Volunteered to help source a Caribbean tree fern as a present for somebody, thinking it would be easy, but the only ones I can find seem to be from Australia or New Zealand. Has anyone any ideas?

[thifasmom]

coming from the Caribbean i wasn't aware that we had tree ferns :-\ but we do have similar looking plants but they belong to the palm family, sorry don't know the names of the differing types but I'll have search and see if i find anything.

[thifasmom]

i found this type Windmill Palm Trees, the picture in the first link is of the Chinese variety:

http://carlsons.org/IMAGES/chinese-windmill-palmtree.jpg

not sure if there are any native to the Caribbean the site below where i got the picture from has list of winter hardy palm trees.

http://carlsons.org/

here is another site European based:

http://www.winterpalm.com/engeland.html

[Baccy Man]

It's Cyathea Arborea you are looking for, also goes under the synonyms Polypodium Arboreum, Cyathea Sternbergii & Cyathea Nigrescens.

I've never seen one for sale though & unless it's going in a heated greenhouse or a conservatory it looks unlikely it would survive in the UK.

[xlynettex]

sorry i also was not aware of tree ferns from the Caribbean, thought the climate was to hot and dry. tree fern like humid ,warm and damp conditions.

but if there is 1 i would be interested as i have a few tree fern and would add it to my collection :)

[bupster]

Thanks, guys - I think we're going to have to accept that we can't find one, which is a shame.

[thifasmom]

It's Cyathea Arborea you are looking for, also goes under the synonyms Polypodium Arboreum, Cyathea Sternbergii & Cyathea Nigrescens.

I've never seen one for sale though & unless it's going in a heated greenhouse or a conservatory it looks unlikely it would survive in the UK.

baccyman well done i always thought those were of the palm family :-\.

sorry i also was not aware of tree ferns from the Caribbean, thought the climate was to hot and dry. tree fern like humid ,warm and damp conditions.

but if there is 1 i would be interested as i have a few tree fern and would add it to my collection :)

its according to the island, most of the islands especially in the west indies can be quite humid especially in the mountain ranges.