Slow growing but a sight to see in autumn when all the leaves change to soft gold. The tree has such a lovely shape silhouetted against all the native Australian evergreens. We didn't expect much from our exotic trees this autumn after the long drought. Its a very ancient tree the leaves have been found in fossil strata from the Palaeozoic era when the earth was a jungle of steamy swamps. It has been known to scientists for centuries as the ancestor of all conifers. The leaves resemble the Maidenhair Fern to which it owes its popular name although the Chinese refer to it as the Duck's Foot Tree.