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Platycerium
Also called Elkhorn Ferns
Platycerium is a genus of about 18 epiphytic staghorn or elkhorn ferns that grow on trees and rocks. Most grown plants are P. bifurcatum and P. superbum, and the key to success is bright light, humidity, and mounting or potting so the roots stay airy.
Platycerium is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds. This genus is epiphytic and is native to tropical and temperate areas of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Guinea.
The species Platycerium bifurcatum and Platycerium superbum are commonly cultivated as ornamental plants. These oddly shaped ferns grow on trees and rocks and can be found in gardens, especially tropical gardens.
Staghorns can be propagated by spores produced on the underside of the fertile fronds. Colonial Platycerium can also be vegetatively propagated by carefully dividing large healthy ones into smaller, separate plants. These new plants can then be attached to board mounts or be strapped to trees until they take to the tree themselves.
Platycerium alcicorne · Elkhorn fern · Staghorn fern · Silver Elkhorn
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Platycerium 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.
