tree fern

noun

|Updated on: 27 May 2018

Definition of tree fern

: any of various ferns (especially families Cyatheaceae and Dicksoniaceae) of arborescent habit with a woody stem

Recent Examples of tree fern from the Web

Yankee Hall, his stately country home in Furnas Valley, sits on a 30-acre plot that is now a public botanical garden thick with tree ferns, bamboo and several hundred varieties of camellias.

— gisela williams, New York Times, "Where to Shop (and Eat) in São Miguel, Portugal," 9 May 2018
Not One, But Two Forests Apparently one was no fun for Hugh Hefner, who maintained both a redwood forest and a tree fern forest on the Playboy Mansion’s grounds.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "Albino Peacocks, Pac-Man, and Year-Round Fireworks: 6 Things You Might Not Know About the Playboy Mansion," 28 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tree fern.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.