Botanical Name:
Blechnum discolor
Common Name:
Crown fern, piupiu
Family:
Blechnaceae
Description:
NZ native fern handsome upright fern, with frinds up to 1.2m long and 15cm wide that from a shuttlecock shaped crown. The closely spaced, pointed oblong leaflets are bright green above and paler below with a slightly wavy edge. Older plants often have short trunks. The fern spreads by stolons. Grows well in the dappled shade of trees, preferring a light, damp but well drained soil.
Uses:
As a contrast plant for its texture and form, as a groundcover under larger trees, would grow under house eaves, in a fernery or native garden.
Propagation:
By spores or division.
Reference:
The gardeners encyclopaedia of new zealand native plants by Yvonne Cave and Valda Paddison.