World Plants Logo

search the world

Perennials, Tropicals, Ferns > Platycerium > Platycerium superbum > Platycerium superbum

Platycerium superbum


Staghorn, Staghorn Fern




Origin:  Australia.
Family
Polypodiaceae
Genus
Platycerium
Species
superbum
Category
Perennials, Tropicals, Ferns
Synonyms
Alcicornium superbum
USDA Hardiness Zone
9b - 11
Canadian Hardiness Zone
Requires cold season protection under glass.
RHS Hardiness Zone
H1c - H3
Temperature (°C)
-5 - 10
Temperature (°F)
23 - 50
Height
1.8 - 2.4 m
Spread
2.4 - 3 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
General Description
Evergreen fern that is found attached to trees in the wild, and grown for the foliage.
Cultivation
Best grown in partial to full shade, with neutral to slightly acidic, well-drained soil. Water regularly, do not overwater and do not allow soil to dry out. Sometimes found growing attached to trees.
Growth
Fast
ID Characteristic
Fronds angle upwards, like the antlers of a stag.
Pests
Beetles and moth larvae. Leaves will become damaged if allowed to dry out.
Bark/Stem Description
Short rhizomes, usually obscured by fronds.
Leaf Description
There are two types of fronds on the plant - sterile and fertile. Sterile fronds areĀ broad, adpressed to substrate, based round to kidney-shaped, persistent, 120 to 150 cm long and 90 to 135 cm wide. Fertile fronds are drooping, usually growing in pairs of equal sizes up to 1 m long, narrowly wedge-shaped and tick at bases, broadening upward. Major veins are evident.
Flower Description
Non-flowering.
Colour Description
Fronds are green, with the sterile fronds turning brown over time.
Texture Description
Fronds are covered with soft, stellate hairs when young.
Notable Specimens
Centennial Conservatory, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Propagation
From spores.
goToTop
top