Angiopteris evecta (giant fern or king fern)

Angiopteris evecta the giant or king fern is one of the largest ferns on the planet, not in height, but certainly in the size of its leaves

Angiopteris evecta is a giant, primeval-looking fern that produces massive, globular trunks and gigantic leaves.

The giant fern is native to Indonesia, New Guinea, coastal northern Australia and the south and west Pacific Islands.

Angiopteris evecta is found in terrestrial rainforests, clearings and along roadsides, also in ravines and on steep volcanic slopes, always growing in very rich soils.

Species detail

Giant ferns

Height - grow to 7m tall
Rhizomes - massive, globose, erect, radially arranged, to 150cm tall and to 100cm wide
Stipules - 10cm wide when dry (to about 20cm when fresh), densely long-scaly above, triangular-keeled, the edges irregularly erose
Leaves - bipinnate, up to 5-7m long, petiole up to 2m long, up to 6cm wide, the swollen base to 15cm wide, without nodes

Taxonomy

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Distribution and habitat

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Biology

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Conservation

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References

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