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tree fern

See more synonyms for tree fern on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various ferns, mostly tropical and chiefly of the family Cyatheaceae, that attain the size of trees, sending up a straight trunklike stem with foliage at the summit.
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Origin of tree fern

First recorded in 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tree fern

Historical Examples

  • The larva feeds on Cyathea dealbata (tree-fern) in September.

    New Zealand Moths and Butterflies

    G. V. Hudson

  • It may be the same day as that of the Tree-fern, or one as remote as you please from it, before or after.

    Omphalos

    Philip Henry Gosse

  • A Tree-Fern, Dicksonia arborescens, with a young one near its base.

  • We had one tree-fern that rose from the centre of a rockery, and spread itself over it like a handsome umbrella.

  • Acrogen, ak′ro-jen, n. a plant that grows at the top chiefly, as a tree-fern.

British Dictionary definitions for tree fern

tree fern

noun
  1. any of numerous large tropical ferns, mainly of the family Cyatheaceae, having a trunklike stem bearing fronds at the top
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012