tree fern

noun

any of numerous usually tropical ferns having a thick woody stem or caudex and a crown of large fronds; found especially in Australia and New Zealand; chiefly of the families Cyatheaceae and Marattiaceae but some from Polypodiaceae

• Hypernyms: ↑fern

• Hyponyms:

↑silver tree fern, ↑sago fern, ↑black tree fern, ↑Cyathea medullaris, ↑soft tree fern, ↑Dicksonia antarctica, ↑Scythian lamb, ↑Cibotium barometz, ↑thyrsopteris, ↑Thyrsopteris elegans, ↑angiopteris, ↑giant fern, ↑Angiopteris evecta

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noun

1. : any of various ferns exhibiting an arborescent habit with a caudex that is woody and elongated, belonging chiefly to the families Cyatheaceae and Marattiaceae but including some members of the Polypodiaceae, and being chiefly tropical and especially abundant in Australia and New Zealand

2. : any of several ferns that usually grow on or about trees: as

a. : gray polypody

b. : royal fern

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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.

[1840-50]

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tree fern noun

A large, tropical fern with a tall woody trunk

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Main Entry: ↑tree

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tree fern,

a fern of tropical and subtropical regions that grows to the size of a tree, with a woody, trunklike stem and fronds at the top.

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n. a large palmlike fern with a trunklike stem bearing a crown of large fronds, sometimes reaching a height of 24 m and occurring chiefly in the tropics, particularly the southern hemisphere. ● Cyatheaceae and related families, class Filicopsida: seven genera, in particular Cyathea and Dicksonia