This fern has a thing about symmetry. The fronds radiate from a central point. This is a creeping rhizome. They form a circular crown that can be a metre across. The sterile fronds are spreading and low-arching. They lie almost flat against the ground. They are dark green and leathery. They are once-divided with narrow, pointed leaflets. The fertile fronds are different. They are upright and narrow. They are dramatically taller. They rise from the centre of the crown like a cluster of dark wands. The contrast is striking. The crown shape makes it special. Lomaria discolor means edged or bordered. This refers to the contrast between the dark green upper surface and the paler underside. But the real feature is the form. A mature crown fern is a perfect circle of fronds. Each one is angled just so. This creates a living mandala on the forest floor. The sterile fronds lie flat. They hug the ground. They are tough and leathery. They withstand the foot traffic of possums. They handle the falling of branches. The fertile fronds stand upright. They are twice the height of the sterile ones. They bear the sporangia on their undersides. The difference between the low, dark green circle and the tall, narrow wands is dramatic. It carpets the forest floor. In many New Zealand forests, the crown fern is one of the most common ground ferns. It forms extensive colonies in the shaded understorey. Its dense rosettes create a low, green carpet. This suppresses other plants. It provides shelter for insects and small reptiles. The coverage is effective. It claims the space. Reproduction occurs by spores, like all ferns. The fertile fronds produce spores throughout the year. They release them into the air. The spores are tiny. A single fertile frond can release millions of them. They drift through the forest. They land on damp soil. They wait to germinate. It spreads by creeping rhizomes. It sends up new rosettes at intervals. Over time, a single plant can form a large colony. This covers the forest floor with a pattern of green circles. The spread is steady. It is persistent. In a world of towering tree ferns and scrambling lace ferns, the crown fern is the ground-dweller. It stays low. It forms its perfect circles. It carpets the forest floor. It is not the tallest. It is not the flashiest. But it has presence. Walk through any lowland forest. Look down. You will see the circles. Dark green crowns. Each one is a perfect star. The crown fern is everywhere. It has been here for millions of years. It will be here for millions more. It carries on. No one told it otherwise.