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Elaphoglossum serpens
Also called Cerro De Punta Tonguefern, Serpent Tonguefern
Cerro de punta jayuya (Elaphoglossum serpens) is a rare epiphytic tongue fern found only on the summit of Cerro de Punta in Puerto Rico, growing on the trunks of a few Lyonia trees. Its survival depends on protecting that one small cloud forest site, so it is not a plant for ordinary home cultivation.
Elaphoglossum serpens is a rare species of fern that grows only on Cerro de Punta, the highest mountain in Puerto Rico. The fern grows at one location, where there are 22 known specimens. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1993.
The fern was described in 1947 from specimens found at Monte Jayuya. This habitat was cleared for construction and the plant was extirpated. It was later located on Cerro de Punta. This fern is an epiphyte which grows on the trunks of the tree species Lyonia rubiginosa var. stahlii. There are only six trees that together host the 22 ferns. This mountain summit is coveted for its ideal location for communications facilities and construction of these facilities has led to destruction of part of the forest there.
Royal tonguefern · Toothed Tongue-fern · Ekaha · Veined Tongue-fern · Elaphoglossum pattersoniae · Elaphoglossum randii · Elaphoglossum tovii · Tonguefern
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Elaphoglossum serpens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
