Dicksonia squarrosa, commonly called wheki or rough tree fern, is a common tree fern endemic to New Zealand. It has a slender black trunk that is usually surrounded by many dead brown fronds. This species has a fast growth rate of up to 10ââ¬â80 cm a year, growing to about 6 m tall. It produces few fronds, all of which sprout in almost horizontal fashion. The fronds reach 1.5ââ¬â3 m in length, much smaller than Cyathea varieties, and are quite crisp to touch. They form a small `umbrella` on top of the trunk. They are sometimes found sprouting from apparently dead pieces of trunk. The trunks are often used for fencing or edging and fronds will sometimes sprout from the side if the top is dead. A feature of the whekë is the spreading underground rhizomes which can create dense groves, making it one of the most common tree ferns in New Zealand forests
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