Hairiness unfolding

This is a tiny little baby tree fern, Cyathea brownii or Norfolk tree fern, one of the biggest tree ferns in the world. Native to Norfolk Island in the Pacific, it can reach 20 metres in height, with leaf fronds 6 metres long. Oops!

Of course, the man at the nursery who sold me this one lied and said it was an indigenous variety and I didn't know any better at the time. Our indigenous ferns do not get as big and are very slow growing. I have had a fascination for tree ferns ever since I first saw them growing in the Eastern part of the country about thirty-five years ago and wanted to get one ever since. They are from subtropical areas and absorb a lot of the moisture that they need from mists, using the hairs on their stems and trunks but you can keep them in our dry climate if you pour water on the trunk regularly. I had it outside for a few days this winter but it didn't like that and the leaves started drying up. I brought it back indoors where it is warm and sunny and it decided not to give up and die on me and is busy unfurling new leaves.

It's still small and has a tiny trunk a few centimeters high but I will have to rehome it at some point because it will definitely outgrow my small garden. Perhaps by then I will be cured of my obsession for tree ferns but I doubt it, who can resist that little furry head? Because I have my own home and garden, I have been indulging my urges to get every plant I ever liked. Perhaps I will chop down the pine tree and plant this in its place. There's an idea I could live with...