The parent Sphaeropteris cooperi will likely survive but the cutting will not. Dicksoniaceae family can grow from cuttings but not Sphaeropteris/Cyathea. They are real cheap and readily available, just buy one.

Pat, thank you very much for your knowledge and help.
I feel better for refusing !
I wish they were readily available ! in my area, they are not alas ! If you know of a place, I am all ears ! Many thanks ! Maya

Several mail order places offer them as well as e-bay. The "Fern Factory" near LA is a reputable source by mail order or order on-line.

Found them ! so many thanks Pat !

You're way off here. For a start, Cyathea cooperi simply doesn't form basal offset babies as described - so it's irrelevant commenting on whether or not they will survive. If you're absolutely sure about the offsets, you must have the wrong tree fern. The species observed in Florida is likely to be either Dicksonia squarrosa or just possibly Cibotium glaucum - New Zealand and Hawaiian species respectively and which both freely produce offsets along the trunk... and in squarrosa's case, even send out stoloniferous 'runners' to colonise new ground far away from the main plant. Although it would take a high level of skill to maintain a newly detached offset as a standalone plant (permanent high humidity until a viable new root system was ready to take over) it's by no means an impossible technique for propagating tree ferns. It's certainly a great deal quicker than germinating spore.

If it was Dicksonia squarrosa, as I strongly suspect, then you COULD have taken up your friend's offer to detach an offset. The parent plant would have been unharmed, but the real challenge would be in nurturing the vulnerable, humidity-dependent new fern. That's where the plan would most likely fall down.

Obviously I don't have local knowledge (I'm thousands of miles away in the UK) but it doesn't sound credible that Cyathea cooperi could even survive in Virginia...in fact, maybe not any tree fern species at all, irrespective of how hardy it was. Do you know, say, if Dicksonia antarctica is present in your area? You need to research some of this before committing to a mail order Cyathea...

One possible explanation for these curious 'offsets' (even though cooperi is not a species that produces them) is that these are just sporophytes that are growing epiphytically on the trunk. In other words, germinated spore that has somehow taken root in a damp crevice in the trunk, probably with the assistance of misting from an auto-irrigation system...but not in any way 'umbilically' linked to a nutrient-providing parent plan, as with a true stoloniferous fern species. In which case, they are almost begging to be detached and grown-on as they would have no long-term viability remaining attached to the trunk.

Otherwise, there's no accounting for how these little cooperi come to be present...except to hypothesize that we're actually talking about an entirely different species, namely Dicksonia squarrosa. But are these generally available on the US garden market? I'd be surprised. Anybody here ever seen D.squarrosa in cultivation in the US?

It's quite an interesting mystery (hence my three posts!). Any chance of getting the Florida friend to email you some photos that you could post for us? A general shot of the 'Cyathea cooperi' and then a close-up of the little offsets...

Please Stephen don't kill me for saying the wrong things ! :) I know NOTHING about ferns soooo, this being said, I can tell you that the idea of a spore falling into a boot is entirely possible because the offsets were not at soil level. Are they CC? don't know ! But I will send a copy to my friend and ask if he can give us more details. Thanks for your interest Stephen !

It's a fascinating mystery - a pup-forming Florida tree fern that sounds as if it ought to be Cyathea cooperi...yet theoretically shouldn't be. There's just one possible precendent that I can think of: a multi-branched mutant strain of Cyathea cooperi that has naturalized around the village of Santana, on the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira. Whether there's a simple environmental cause for their hydra-headed growth habit, or whether it's a genetic mutation within that local population, I don't know...but those Madeira cooperi are NOT single trunked tree ferns, as they ought to be. I thought the Madeira cooperi phenomenon was a unique case, but maybe something strange is going on with your friend's tree ferns as well. I hope so, don't you!

I hate to confuse the issue, but I have a Dicksonia antarctica that is doing the same thing. I've been meaning to get pictures to post here but haven't yet. I have a few Cyathea (Sphaeropteris?) cooperi and Dicksonia (one fibrosa and some antarctica) in my garden here, north of San Francisco. I was clearing out around them about the time this thread came up. I was surprised to see that one D. antarctica that had been covered by a large shrub, although it has healthy fronds, has a cup-shaped hole where its crown should be. However, there are fronds coming from near the base that look like "pups" from the trunk. This tree fern has suffered dry conditions, and too much shade, which is what I think killed the crown. I'm not giving up on it yet, and it's getting better care now.

The large fern in my garden photos is a D. fibrosa. If there's any interest, I'll get out my camera and post a picture of the D. antarctica with the unusual growth.

The Freddo

Here is a link that might be useful: Some shots from my garden...

Yes, post a few images of this apparent Dicksonia antarctica budding phenomeon. Theoretically, this shouldn't be happening under 'normal' conditions...but I think damage to the crown can sometimes provoke the emergence of an extra apical growing point. Still like to see it captured in detail in some good pictures, though.

I also believe the fern your friend has is Dicksonia antartica. They are fairly common in Florida and do produce pups, as others have posted. You can view images at Dave's Garden. The one thing about this fern is the hairs on trunk are very irritating. I know this from experience. Dave's Garden: "Though these ferns may LOOK soft and luxuriant, most tree ferns have fairly rough fronds and these hairs/scales are not only NOT soft, they are also potent irritants. Getting these hairs or scales on oneÂs skin or in oneÂs eyes can be a very unpleasant experience. One of the names for Dicksonia antarctica is the Soft Fern, which is truly a misnomer, as it is a very rough, scaly, and bristly-haired plant that is not a comfort to rub up against." " Dicksonia antartica is one fern often propagated in this fashion, with the trunks being sawed off and rerooted, while the original tree grows another head."

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's Garden Introduction to Cold Hardy Tree Ferns

I have received a few pictures but -sorry- don't know how to post them here. If someone wants to look at them, pls feel free to email me at mayalee a aol and I will send them to you. Many thanks !

This thread seems to be introducing more tree fern mis-information than clarification.

* Dicksonia squarrosa, from NZ, is the suckering tree fen - NOT the Australian D.antarctica (note spelling too).

* Dicksonias do NOT produce scales - only Cyatheas do that.

* Cyathea scales can be irritants, but soft Dicksonia hairs are pretty benign and not truly 'bristly' - they've been used in all manner of traditional products for hundreds of years. Unique allergies aside, there's nothing especially problematic about D.antarctica fronds compared to any other garden shrub.

* Nowhere are Dicksonia antarctica trunks sawn off and the in-ground portion allowed to form a new head, as alleged above! That's absolute nonsense. De-capitate them and they're dead.

OK I'll stop lurking and throw in my two cents. Esp since stephenpope has been so kind to help me in the past.
Although I haven't seen pups survive on a trunk of S. cooperi, mine has produced pups that fade away over time. The first pic below is of my Sphaeropteris medullaris whos trunk divided into two heads last year. S. cooperi isn't far away on the family tree so...
The sencond and third photos are of Diplazium esculentum which grows wild around the S.E. US. Mine shows a pup at the base. Its my understanding that Diplazium is close to Blecnum gibbum as shown with a pup in photo 4. Of course it could be Angiopteris evecta which pups and is grown in Florida as shown in photo 5. Sorry I need help to pull aside stipes to show pups as Stephenpope mentioned as occurs on Cibotiums, in this case schiedei which can truly get out of hand.
Hope this helps. :)

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Great pics. Thanks!

Josh

I'm still sceptical that either Cyathea cooperi or C.medullaris normally produce pups - I just don't feel entirely convinced that what is being described in the thread so far is actually this phenomenon. Yes, occasionally damage to the apical growing zone can cause the crown to split and lead to a double head effect - but that's not an offset capability. And yes, maybe self-seeded sporelings can germinate and survive epiphytically for a while on the moist trunk - but again that's not a true 'pup' capability. And, yes, nurseries frequently sell Cyathea pots with more than one sporeling fused together, like a siamese twin...but that doesn't mean the fern has really branched or produced a pup.

Pat has got a good collection of clump-forming tree ferns there! Diplazium, Blechnum, Angiopteris and most Cibotium and Sadleria species are noted for this colonizing tendency, and it's certainly a handy evolutionary talent to be able to reproduce in this fashion in addition to the usual spore dispersal. But, despite beguiling anecdotal evidence, do any of the common garden Cyatheas REALLY do this...?

Thanks stephenpope. I have never seen an offset or side branch above the ground on a cyathea. To rephrase what I observed on my cooperi: I believe mine became infected with rhizoctonia. I have been instructed to fertilize the heck out of tree ferns that get this. Rhizoctonia hardens the tip of the rhizome. The increased vigor created by high nitrogen forced the start of side shoots at the base of a few stipes. Once the tip of the rhizome powered through the hard part I believe the side shoots whithered away and things returned to normal.
I have seen Cibotium glaucum on the Big Island with side shoots above the ground. It seems like they emerged where the main rhizome had been damaged. I have also seen shoots emerge along a fallen trunk whose main rhizome continued to live.
That said, I believe you are correct in that, if it is a cyathea, and it is formed above the ground, it is likely an epiphytic sporeling. Good call.

Now, how about a picture mayalee??

Hello Pat, I have sent a few pics to Stephen but may be it went to Spam for him ? I just sent you a msg and will send them to you if you want. When I try to post them here it says "rejected" :) - thanks Pat !

That's a shame, Maya - I haven't been able to find the pictures you sent me. But Pat will probably be able to figure out a way to get them on to the forum. So, are we going to have to re-write the rules for 'non-budding' Cyathea cooperi? Or at least come up with a devious explanation as to why the Florida mutants are the exception that proves the rule...!

Got the pics. This is the relevant one. The others confirm Sphaeropteris cooperi. For me, the resolution isn't good enough to make a definitive analysis. However, if it does emerge from the trunk 2" above the ground on this very mature Sc it may be a sporeling. Not likely to survive transplantation at any rate.

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Photo's too fuzzy to see very much, except that it's a cooperi.

Sorry Stephen, not being a regular correspondant with you, my email probably went to your Spam files. If/when I go back over there, I will try to take pictures myself with good close-ups. Thank you all for your help - Maya