para
about.
Ptisana salicina | king fern, para, tawhiti para, horseshoe fern
One of Aotearoa’s most majestic ferns, forming bold clumps of dark green fronds that can grow up to 5 m long, arching out from a stout base. It naturally occurs in moist, shaded lowland forests but is now rare in the wild due to browsing by cattle, goats, pigs, and deer and over collection by humans. para is often found growing among kareao (Ripogonum scandens) and parataniwha (Elatostema rugosum). In cultivation it thrives in sheltered, damp sites with frost protection when young, making a dramatic evergreen feature for gardens and shaded corners where few other plants will grow.
typical habitat.
karst habitats
streamsides
drainage.
well drained
moist
sun.
full shade
mature specifications.
height | 3m
width | 5m
did you know?
Māori traditionally used the bulbous root of the King Fern as a food source and even cultivated it for this purpose. Harvesting was restricted by tapu—likely in recognition of the fern’s slow growth—offering a lesson in sustainable practice. The swollen, rounded caudex of this species also makes it visually distinctive, recalling the ancient cycads to which it bears a striking resemblance.