Silver fern

The Silver Fern

The silver fern is a beautiful plant that grows only in New Zealand. It is a type of medium-sized tree fern. People know it because of the shiny, silver-white color on the bottom of its leaves, called fronds.

In New Zealand, the silver fern is more than just a plant. It is a symbol of the country. Both people living in New Zealand and those abroad use the silver fern to show pride and connection to the nation. The fern also has special names in the Māori culture, such as kaponga or ponga.

The silver fern can grow very tall, up to 10 metres (33 feet). Its fronds can be up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) long and 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) wide. The underside of the leaves is a beautiful silver-white colour when the fern is fully grown. Younger plants have a lighter, pale green colour.

In traditional Māori culture, the silver fern is a symbol of new life and growth. People used ponga trunks to build houses called whare and walls. The shape of the silver fern leaf, called the koru, appears in many Māori artworks, such as carvings and traditional tattoos called tā moko. Old stories tell how hunters would use the bright underside of the fern leaves to guide their way home at night.

Today, the silver fern is one of New Zealand's most famous symbols. It appears on many products from New Zealand and is used by many organizations and sports teams. The fern is also used in gardens, where ponga logs help make walls to hold back soil and mark garden edges.