(plat-ee-cir' ee-um bii-fur-caa' tum)
Common name: Staghorn Fern
Family: Polypodiaceae, Polypody
Height x width: 3' x 3'
Fronds: erect to horizontal, rounded to heart or kidney shaped sterile fronds green turning brown; gray-green fertile fronds to 3', often spreading and usually pendent, forked 2 or 3 times in strap-like fuzzy hairy segments
Sori: in large brown patches on undersides, usually near tips
Light: bright
Temperature: average to warm
Watering: moderate with lukewarm water, water biweekly by soaking slab in tepid water at least 15 minutes
Fertility: moderate
Humidity: highly humid, indirect
Soil: none, epiphytic, attach to a slab of rough wood or fiber
Pests and Problems: scale insects (often common);
Growth habit, uses: hanging on vertical surfaces, exotic
Other interest: name from Greek platys meaning broadand keras meaning horn, refering to the frond shape; native to southern and eastern Australia and Java
Other culture: keep watered frequently, without soil roots attached to slab have little access to water; can mist frequently, but indirect humidity such as from a humidifier has less chance to spot leaves; never remove brown basal leaves forming shield (purpose is to hold water); older plants may be grown in pots in an epiphytic mix
Propagation: removal of offsets, spores seldom sprout
Related species:
Of the 18 or so species, the above and the following are most common.
grande (gran' daa)--fertile fronds wedge shaped, 4-6' long
Cultivars: Several are available but not common, having various shaped fertile fronds.
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