Cyathea tree ferns are known to keep skirts of dead leaves around them, ... New Zealand Journal of Ecology, published online March 19, 2021. doi: 10.20417/nzjecol.45.22.

New Zealand opened their 2023 World Cup campaign with a massive 1-0 win over Norway on opening night at Eden ... a tree fern endemic to New Zealand that has become a popular symbol of the country.

Such is not the case with the Cyathea rojasiana fern, though – a scientist has discovered that its dead fronds become "zombie leaves" which suck nutrients from the soil. SUBSCRIBE LOG IN ...

Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea ...

But this tree fern’s “zombie leaves,” or leaf roots, represent the first known example of a repurposing of dying tissue, said Eddie Watkins, a professor and fern expert at Colgate University ...