tree fern

/ˌtri ˈfʌrn/

Other forms: tree ferns

Definitions of tree fern

1. 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
   types:

   Cyathea medullaris, black tree fern, sago fern, silver tree fern

   a showy tree fern of New Zealand and Australia having a crown of pinnated fronds with whitish undersides

   Dicksonia antarctica, soft tree fern

   of Australia and Tasmania; often cultivated; hardy in cool climates

   Cibotium barometz, Scythian lamb

   Asiatic tree fern having dense matted hairs sometimes used as a styptic

   Thyrsopteris elegans, thyrsopteris

   a terrestrial tree fern of South America

   Angiopteris evecta, angiopteris, giant fern

   highly variable species of very large primitive ferns of the Pacific tropical areas with high rainfall

   type of:

   fern

   any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores