tree fern

noun

1. any of various ferns, mostly tropical and chiefly of the family Cyatheaceae, that attain the size of trees, sending up a straight trunklike stem with foliage at the summit.

tree fern

noun

1. any of numerous large tropical ferns, mainly of the family Cyatheaceae , having a trunklike stem bearing fronds at the top

Word History and Origins

Origin of tree fern¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The most similar modern counterpart might be Dicksonia antarctica, a type of tree fern native to Australasia, but popular in Britain as an ornamental plant.

From BBC

In the rainforests of western Panama, the plant biologist Jim Dalling stumbled upon some tree ferns with six-foot-long leaves that bent to the ground as they were dying, encircling the plant like a skirt.

From New York Times

Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant.

From Science Daily

But it is not clear why tree ferns would keep so much genetic material; most flowering plants return to slimmer genomes after duplications.

From Scientific American

No, it’s the flying spider monkey tree fern.

From New York Times