Tree Ferns [Paperback]

Tree ferns in the landscape command the attention of both devoted gardeners and casual passersby. Their stately form resembles that of the palm tree and evokes a feeling of the quintessentially exotic. This volume isthesource for information on the living tree ferns. It surveys families, genera, and species, including those suitable for the home garden. It offers up-to-date taxonomy and detailed descriptions as well as in-depth coverage of everything from tree fern use to conservation. In recognition of the horticultural importance of tree ferns, the authors provide extensive cultivation information, including propagation, and diseases and pests.

This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white. 

Mark F. Large's interest in fern evolution and paleobotany spans 20 years. He has authored many fern publications and acted as a botanical consultant for the popular television seriesWalking with Dinosaurs. He is an associate professor of botany and heads the School of Landscape and Plant Science at UNITEC Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

Young uncurling fronds of tree ferns are often eaten in the wild by animals and birds. Humans have also used tree ferns as a food source. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia, the peoples of Hawaii, India, Madagascar, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and the Maori in New Zealand are known to have used the pith from the center of the trunk as a starch source. The young uncurling fronds have also been eaten. This material is often full of silicates and resinous compounds and remains an acquired taste. For a short period in the 1920s,Cibotiumstarch was extracted in Hawaii commercially for laundry and food use (Nelson and Hornibrook 1962).

Several tree ferns have toxic or therapeutic properties; some have been explored for antiviral and medicinal uses. About 300 B.C., Theophrastus recommended oil extracted from ferns to expel inlC!