This giant fern can have fronds up to 9 metres long (the longest of any fern in the world) and has been at home in Australia for over 300 million years.

King Fern - Angiopteris evecta on the road to Cape Tribulation - Photo by Alex Pawlow

It is also known as Giant fern.

It will only ever grow successfully where it can reach permanent underground water, like along the Great Barrier Reef Drive north of the Daintree River and near the Daintree River near the Daintree Village. You can see them alongside the road.

They are relatively rare in Australia, but grow commonly in the Daintree Rainforest. Interestingly, although the population in Australia is declining, it has become an invasive species in Hawaii and Jamaica where it has been introduced.