Filicium decipiens
COMMON NAME | Fern Tree or Thika
Palm |
TYPE | Tree |
FAMILY | Sapindaceae |
NOTES | Slow-growing tree
with a straight, short trunk and a dense, neatly shaped rounded crown. The
bark is smooth and pale brown on young trees, on older trees becoming rough,
fissured and flaking. In its native habitat, it reaches heights of 16 to 65
ft tall. The evergreen leaves are large, fern-like and showy. The genus
Filicium comes from the Latin filix meaning fern. It refers to the foliage of
the tree resembling fern fronds. The species epithet decipiens means
"deceptive", alluding to the deceptive nature of the leaves in
resembling fern fronds. |
GEOGRAPHIC REGION | Sri Lanka, southern India and East
Africa |
NATIVE HABITAT | It is found in forest
near river valleys, up to 1600 m altitude. |
WEB SOURCES |
