Amidst the urban landscape of Sydney Olympic Park, quietly tucked within quiet crevices and tree trunks, an ancient story continues - told by some of nature’s most intriguing and resilient survivors: ferns. Let’s meet three of Sydney Olympic Park’s remarkable native fern species and discover what makes them truly un-fern-gettable.
Resilient and adaptive
With delicate, fan-shaped leaflets resembling tiny green necklaces, Asplenium flabellifolium or the Necklace Fern, is more than just eye-catching—it’s an ecological superstar. Not content with spores alone, this fern can cleverly clone itself directly from the tips of its trailing fronds. Each new growth point means a fresh colony, creating beautiful living chains.
The resurrection fern
Most ferns shy away from direct sunlight—not the Mulga Fern! Cheilanthes sieberi loves sun-baked surfaces and thrives in areas that test its limits. When drought hits, the Mulga Fern curls up tightly, appearing lifeless and brittle. Yet, give it a bit of rain, and its leaves unfold dramatically, springing back to life like nothing happened.
Living on air
The Rock Felt Fern Pyrrosia rupestris has only recently been observed at the Park clinging fearlessly to exposed tree trunks as a master of survival in tough urban environments. It requires minimal soil, gleaning nutrients from rainwater, air, and organic debris. It truly lives life on the edge—quite literally.
Next time you’re strolling through Sydney Olympic Park, take a moment to admire these leafy survivors. From the delicate Necklace Fern, the fuzzy Rock Felt Fern, to the indomitable Mulga Fern, these plants have earned their status as truly “un-fern-gettable” local legends.
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