ponga

plural pongas · alternative punga

1. A medium-sized tree fern endemic to New Zealand, of species Alsophila tricolor (syns .Alsophila dealbata, Cyathea dealbata et al.).

   Hilltop behind hilltop, / A mile of green pungas / In the grey afternoon / Bow their heads to the slanting spears of rain.

   1972, James K. Baxter, ‘He Waiata mo Te Kare’, Selected Poems, Te Herenga Waka University Press 2023, p. 265

   1 more example

   Ponga logs tended to be used vertically for house walls on the mainland and horizontally (a style known as wakawaka) on the Chatham Islands.

   2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 232

   Synonyms: silver fern