Platycerium bifurcatum

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Monilophytes > Polypodiales > Polypodiaceae >  Platycerium bifurcatum

Other links:    

Plant  information

Common name:         Elkhorn Fern  

• Also, the common staghorn fern

Conservation status: . . .

Etymology:   

• The genus name Platycerium comes from the Greek platys (flat), and ceras (horn)

• The specific epithet bifurcatum means bifurcated or forked

• Both names are referring to the fertile fronds

Spores:                            

Leaves:         

• Growing to 90 cm tall by 80 cm broad

• It has heart-shaped sterile fronds 12–45 cm long

• The arching grey-green fertile fronds are forked and strap-shaped

• They grow up to 90 cm long

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It is a bracket epiphyte 

Habitat:   

• Occurring in and near rainforests. 

Distribution:                  

• Native to Java, New Guinea and eastern Australia, in NSW, Queensland and on Lord Howe Island

Additional notes:     

• Cultivation

  • It is cultivated as an ornamental plant for gardens

  • With a minimum temperature requirement of 5 °C

  • In temperate regions it may be grown outdoors in sheltered locations, otherwise as a houseplant

  • It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platycerium_bifurcatum (2023)