Introduction
Overview
New Zealand’s native ferns range from delicate groundcovers to towering tree ferns and are found from damp lowland forests to windswept alpine gullies. They play a vital role in forest structure, sheltering seedlings, stabilising slopes, and creating rich habitat for invertebrates and birds. In gardens, ferns provide year‑round texture and thrive in shaded, moist positions with good organic matter and consistent moisture.
Adder's Tongue
Ophioglossum coriaceum
Unique primitive fern with a single leathery leaf and a distinctive upright spore-bearing spike.
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Mangemange
Lygodium articulatum
Mangemange is resilient with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Jointed Fern
Arthropteris tenella
A native rainforest fern with shiny, dark green fronds that scramble over rocks and climb tree trunks in shaded, humid environments.
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True Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum aethiopicum
Delicate and graceful evergreen fern with wiry black stems and vibrant green, fan-shaped leaflets, native to North Island forests.
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Cunningham's Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum cunninghamii
Cunningham's Maidenhair Fern is wind-hardy with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Ground Spleenwort
Asplenium appendiculatum
A resilient fern with dark green, leathery fronds, thriving in cool, damp, and shaded environments across New Zealand.
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Chatham Island Spleenwort
Asplenium chathamense
An endemic fern from the Chatham Islands, known for its stiff, erect fronds and adaptation to coastal environments.
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Hen and Chicken Fern
Asplenium gracillimum
A graceful native fern with slender fronds, thriving in dappled shade and humid conditions in New Zealand and Australia.
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Lyall's Spleenwort
Asplenium lyallii
An endemic New Zealand fern with glossy deep green fronds, adaptable to diverse coastal to alpine habitats.
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Mother Spleenwort
Asplenium bulbiferum
Mother Spleenwort is bird-attracting with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Rasp Fern
Doodia australis
Rasp Fern is fast-growing with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Colenso's Hard Fern
Austroblechnum colensoi
Colenso's Hard Fern is wind-hardy with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Umbrella Fern
Sticherus cunninghamii
Umbrella Fern is fast-growing with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Small Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum diaphanum
Small Maidenhair Fern is resilient with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Giant Maidenhair
Adiantum formosum
Spectacular and large evergreen fern with delicate, airy foliage, native to North Island alluvial forests and gorges.
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Rough Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum hispidulum
Rough Maidenhair Fern is resilient with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Necklace Fern
Asplenium flabellifolium
Necklace Fern is fast-growing with notable restoration use; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Piripiri
Hymenophyllum sanguinolentum
Widespread and uniquely aromatic New Zealand filmy fern that forms dense, dark green mats in forest environments.
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Shore Spleenwort
Asplenium obtusatum
Hardy coastal fern with thick fleshy fronds, built to withstand salt spray and exposed rocky environments.
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Hanging Spleenwort
Asplenium flaccidum
Hanging Spleenwort is coastal-tolerant with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Huruhuru-Whenua
Asplenium oblongifolium
Huruhuru-Whenua is wind-hardy with notable attractive form; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Sickle Spleenwort
Asplenium polyodon
Sickle Spleenwort is resilient with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Poor Knights Spleenwort
Asplenium pauperequitum
A small, critically endangered native fern endemic to the Poor Knights and Chatham Islands, thriving in dark, damp rock overhangs.
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Richard's Spleenwort
Asplenium richardii
An endemic New Zealand fern with elegant, tripinnate fronds, thriving in montane to alpine environments.
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Southern Shore Spleenwort
Asplenium scleroprium
A hardy native fern with fleshy, deeply toothed fronds, uniquely adapted to the exposed coastal headlands of southern New Zealand.
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Lance Fern
Austroblechnum lanceolatum
Lance Fern is long-lived with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Alpine Water Fern
Austroblechnum penna-marina
Alpine Water Fern is wind-hardy with notable attractive form; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Nini
Blechnum chambersii
A graceful native ground fern with deep green, lance-shaped fronds, forming lush rosettes in the dampest, most shaded niches of the New Zealand forest floor.
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Crown Fern
Blechnum discolor
Crown Fern is resilient with notable attractive form; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Thread Fern
Blechnum filiforme
Thread Fern is coastal-tolerant with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Hanging Hard Fern
Blechnum membranaceum
A delicate and distinctive endemic New Zealand fern with deep green toothed fronds, thriving in the dampest, most shaded forest floor and streamside niches.
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Swamp Kiokio
Blechnum minus
A graceful native fern with arching green fronds and bronze-tinted new growth, thriving in New Zealand's wetlands and damp forest gullies.
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Kiokio
Blechnum novae-zelandiae
Kiokio is bird-attracting with notable attractive form; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Small Kiokio
Blechnum procerum
Small Kiokio is fast-growing with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Green Bay Kiokio
Blechnum triangularifolium
A robust native fern with large, triangular fronds and upward-pointing sickle-shaped pinnae, specialized for base-rich coastal cliffs and banks.
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Mountain Hard Fern
Blechnum vulcanicum
A hardy and structural native fern with distinctive triangular fronds, thriving on shaded rock faces and cool forest banks throughout New Zealand.
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Moonwort
Botrychium lunaria
A rare and critically endangered small fern, distinctive for its moon-shaped sterile fronds and reliance on specific microhabitats.
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Parsley Fern
Botrychium australe
A unique and seasonal succulent fern with parsley-like fronds, found in open grasslands and forest clearings from lowland to alpine regions.
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River Fern
Cranfillia fluviatilis
River Fern is a distinctive ground-hugging fern with a rosette of fronds, thriving in moist, shaded forest stream margins.
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Button Fern
Pellaea rotundifolia
Button Fern is coastal-tolerant with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Shaking Brake
Pteris tremula
Shaking Brake is bird-attracting with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Richard's Shield Fern
Polystichum richardii
Richard's Shield Fern is coastal-tolerant with notable attractive form; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Mamaku
Sphaeropteris medullaris
Mamaku is long-lived with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Long Fork Fern
Tmesipteris elongata
Long Fork Fern is coastal-tolerant with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Fork Fern
Tmesipteris tannensis
Unique and ancient epiphytic fern ally, typically found hanging from the moisture-rich trunks of forest tree ferns.
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Kidney Fern
Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum
Kidney Fern is coastal-tolerant with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Pouched Coral Fern
Gleichenia dicarpa
Pouched Coral Fern is resilient with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Drooping Filmy Fern
Hymenophyllum demissum
Drooping Filmy Fern is resilient with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Much-Divided Filmy Fern
Hymenophyllum multifidum
Delicate and intricate filmy fern with highly divided translucent fronds, forming dense carpets in moist forests.
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Hairy Shield Fern
Lastreopsis hispida
Hairy Shield Fern is wind-hardy with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Prince of Wales Feather
Leptopteris superba
Prince of Wales Feather is fast-growing with notable timber value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Kōwaowao
Microsorum pustulatum
Kōwaowao is resilient with notable evergreen foliage; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Common Rasp Fern
Doodia media
Common Rasp Fern is resilient with notable shelter value; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Black Tree Fern
Cyathea medullaris
Black Tree Fern is long-lived with notable nectar for wildlife; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Rārahu
Pteridium esculentum
A vigorous, colonising fern of open sites and disturbed ground across New Zealand. Useful as a pioneer cover but can spread aggressively without management.
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Whēkī
Dicksonia squarrosa
Whēkī is a magnificent native tree fern with fibrous trunk; well suited to New Zealand plantings.
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Autumn Orchid
Earina autumnalis
The Autumn Orchid is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid known for its fragrant white flowers and graceful appearance.
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Spring Orchid
Earina mucronata
The Spring Orchid is a native New Zealand epiphytic orchid celebrated for its fragrant, delicate spring blooms.
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Whisk Fern
Psilotum nudum
Primitive rootless native plant with architectural whip-like branches and yellow spore capsules.
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Greenhood Orchid
Pterostylis banksii
Pterostylis banksii, the Greenhood Orchid, is a terrestrial orchid from New Zealand, known for its unique, hooded flower.
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Trowel-Leaved Greenhood
Pterostylis trullifolia
Pterostylis trullifolia, the Trowel-leaved Greenhood, is a small terrestrial orchid native to New Zealand, noted for its unique flower shape.
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Southern Greenhood
Pterostylis australis
Pterostylis australis, the Southern Greenhood, is a native New Zealand terrestrial orchid with a distinctive green, hooded flower.
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Hard Fern
Austroblechnum durum
Also known as Leather Fern, this hardy species features robust architectural fronds and plays an important role in New Zealand's southern maritime ecosystems.
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Alpine Hard Fern
Blechnum montanum
Blechnum montanum is an alpine/subalpine hard fern with firm fronds for cool, free-draining rock gardens and forest edges. Learn ID and cultivation.
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Delta-leaved Cranfillia
Cranfillia deltoides
This mountain hard fern produces two distinct types of fronds with delta-shaped triangular leaflets, traditionally used medicinally to treat ailments and suppress hunger.
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Creek Fern
Cranfillia fluviatilis
Cranfillia fluviatilis, also known as the Creek Fern or River Fern, is a striking NZ native fern with symmetrical, radiating fronds that thrive in damp, shaded environments.
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Slender Tree Fern
Cyathea cunninghamii
One of New Zealand's tallest and most elegant tree ferns, distinguished by its thin trunk and delicate, lacy fronds.
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Silver Fern
Cyathea dealbata
Cyathea dealbata, the Silver Fern or Ponga, is an iconic New Zealand tree fern famous for the striking silvery-white underside of its mature fronds.
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Soft Tree Fern
Cyathea smithii
Cyathea smithii, the Soft Tree Fern or Kātote, is a cold-tolerant NZ native tree fern with exceptionally soft fronds and a distinctive skirt of dead fronds around its trunk.
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Fragrant Fern
Dendroconche scandens
Dendroconche scandens, or the Fragrant Fern, is a slender climbing fern with pleasant-smelling fronds, often found growing on tree trunks or rocks in damp forest environments.
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Woolly Tree Fern
Dicksonia lanata
Distinctive native tree fern recognized by its dense coating of reddish-brown woolly hairs and its often prostrate or creeping trunk.
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