Common Tree Fern, Cyathea dregei Kunze in the Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa.
Accepted name is Cyathea dregei Kunze found near mountain streams, seepage grasslands along the lower areas in the mountains where we have seen them. These photographs were taken near Highmoor Malote Nature Reserve in the Drakensberg.
These always remind me of woman water carriers going down to the waters edge. A sturdy Tree Fern strong bark protects them from winter fires and frost. Adding charm to areas with water, some do plant into their gardens near swimming pools for added decor, remember it is not fast growing like the Australian Tree Fern.
The common South African tree fern or grassland tree fern (in contrast to its relative, the forest tree fern). It is commonly known as the gewone boomvaring in Afrikaans. Not endangered they pop up around the next corner when hiking in many areas of South Africa where soil is moist.
Photography taken during the Spring when new shoots are uncurling showing the light brown scales, new fronds grow every Spring crowning the tree fern with lush green leaves above the dark trunk.
Tree Ferns grow in various climate ranges from temperate to tropical, areas with dry winters and wet summers, all they need is to be near streams, they don't mind full sun. They stand up to tough conditions with little ill effect to the plant, spore has been collected with testing world wide where they are known to continue in a variety of conditions, only drawback is they are slow growing.
Uses: Gerstner (1941) reports that the Zulu use unspecified parts of the plant as ingredients in infusions known as inembe which are taken regularly during pregnancy to ensure easy childbirth, whilst dried roots are used as anthelmintics. The Xhosa use the plant as an infusion known as isikhomakhoma which is taken to counter the effects of witchcraft (Hutchings 1996). https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.flora.sffa000170049500002
Photography has been resized for Steemit (to allow easier transfer on slow internet connection), no software manipulation on my photography, keep it true to what you see.
Thought for Today: A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has its place. ~ African Proverb
All photography is my own taken with Canon Powershot SX160 IS
Tree Tuesday - my contibution to @old-guy-photos
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