Stories Of Old
This is the rare King Fern or Giant Fern (Angiopteris evecta), growing in Wanggoolba Creek, a rainforest area of the Great Sandy National Park, Fraser Island.
It is thought to be an ancient plant with almost unchanged fossils dating back 300 million years, just prior to the dinosaurs. It has the largest fronds in the world growing up to 7m long and water pressure is used to keep them aloft, consequently the fern can only survive in places where there is a plentiful water supply.
The King Ferns on Fraser have stopped using spores as a means to propagate, sending out roots and cloning themselves instead. This means that although there are 50 or so plants on Fraser in total, there are only 3 genetically distinct plants. Most places where these ferns are found are like this.
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