In my personal opinion this is the best of all tree ferns. It can take full sun right from being a baby and has the most beautiful soft fronds.
I have read that this fern is a real slow grower. With experimentation I have found that it will grow very quickly if you give it good light and mist and water it every other day. Like all Cyatheas you don't want to drown the crown of the trunk, more give the whole trunk a good soaking. It also likes to be pot-bound which I find really weird.
The fronds on this guy are absolutely huge. Even before they start trunking you can get 3 foot fronds out of them. They are a fresh light green with a black rib running down their middle. Once it trunks the contrast of the green fronds with the black trunk is mesmerising.
When the dreaded Winter appears I move mine into an unheated greenhouse and leave them be. My greenhouse has been as low as -4 inside and this guy has not been bothered by it. However, when the next Spring arrives the old fronds do look rather tatty. It must be said that with this (and all Cyatheas) you must not cut the tatty fronds off until they go totally brown. Cyatheas draw nutrients from old fronds to create new ones (kind of like palms). Cutting off the tatty fronds deprives them of their nutrient stores and the plant will start to decline!!! Cyathea Medullaris are hard to find, but it is really worth the effort.
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