Soft Tree Fern
Dicksonia antarctica
Kombadik
Ancient plants that predate the dinosaurs. New fronds unfurl from the crown as fiddleheads through the wet season. The fibrous trunk is actually a mass of roots. Pith from the trunk was traditionally eaten. They need constant moisture and shelter—found in the wet gullies of the upper Merri, dripping with mist in Waring.
Climate context
Frond unfurling depends on constant moisture rather than temperature—thrives in the cool, wet conditions of sheltered gullies.
Seasonal indicator
- Unfurling during Waring (Wombat season).
When to look
Monthly unfurling observations in Victoria. Data from iNaturalist.
Where to look
Observations along the Merri Creek corridor (Fawkner to Dights Falls). Data from iNaturalist.
Historical record
Earliest Victorian specimen: 1853, collected by Mueller, F..
Gold rush
The Victorian gold rush brought massive population growth and environmental destruction. Traditional lands were overrun. Many Wurundjeri people were confined to Coranderrk reserve from 1863.
Learn more: First Peoples and the gold rush, Coranderrk
Specimen data from the Atlas of Living Australia. The collection of botanical specimens occurred alongside — and sometimes in service of — the colonisation of Wurundjeri Country.