Not a great photo, but there’s an interesting story behind this giant fern, Dipteris conjugata. The frond stem is about 2.5 m long and the two-part frond, joined at the base, is about 75 cm across.
My botanical friend was delighted when he found this on a roadside through rainforest recently. It is rare in north Queensland, where it is listed as Near Threatened, though it is also found in parts of Asia.
Dipteris conjugata is a relictual species, one of quite a few hidden in the rainforests of north Queensland, its nearest relatives being fossils from the era of the dinosaurs. Can't you just imagine Brontosaurus chomping on these?
I can’t find a common name in English for this species. Both the genus and specific names refer to the two-part frond: Dipteris = two fern; conjugata = two joined together. Perhaps we should call it the Coupled Fern.