About Pteridium esculentum (G.Forst.) Cockayne
Pteridium esculentum grows from creeping rhizomes covered in reddish hair. Single large, roughly triangular fronds emerge from these rhizomes, reaching 0.5–2 metres (1 ft 8 in – 6 ft 7 in) in height. The fronds are stiff with a brown stipe. This species is found across every Australian state except the Northern Territory, and also occurs in New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Malaysia, Polynesia, and New Caledonia. Within Australia, it is widespread and common up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in altitude in Victoria; it occurs across central, eastern and southern New South Wales; and in Western Australia it grows near southern and western coastlines as far north as Geraldton. It can act as a weed and invade disturbed areas. Just like its Northern Hemisphere relatives, P. esculentum colonises disturbed areas very quickly, and can outcompete other plants to form a dense understorey, so it is often classified as a weed. The dense growth of this fern creates a more humid, sheltered microclimate beneath its fronds, and it acts as a food source for a variety of native insects. One field study near Sydney recorded two species of Drosophila fruit fly on this fern, while another study near Sydney found 17 species of herbivorous arthropods living on P. esculentum: 15 insects and two mites. A notable finding of the second study was the lack of Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies) and beetles.
