Thursday, October 16, 2008

Jurassic-like tree ferns

These tree ferns ( Cyathea ) look like a leaf from the Jurassic Park landscape. But at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre they grow well, thanks to the high humidity, plenty of shady locations and rich and moist tropical soils here .

Look at the height. Wow, it could easily be 20 m high at the umbrella-like crown up there. There are a variety of these tree ferns which are native to Sarawak and they can be found near beaches, swamps, jungles or in the highlands of Sarawak. In all there are 600 species distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world . An interesting plant for our tropical garden not least for its dramatic qualities.

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