Staghorn Fern

Plant Bio

Platycerium spp., or Staghorn Ferns, are different from other ferns in that they are epiphytes, living on trees instead of in the soil, and they are high-light lovers. They have pronounced sporophytes (the stags) and pronounced gametophytes (the shields), and both are separate parts in the staghorn fern’s life cycle. There is little research on, but a lot of confusion with, staghorn fern species. It has been found that many ferns within the genus Platycerium will superficially resemble one another, and that the number of horn\/finger projections will vary depending on how much light and water the plant is receiving. Leave the dead shields on the plant, as they help the plant regulate water!