18 Staghorn Fern Species Explained | Choosing Your First Platycerium
Meet all eighteen staghorn fern species, learn their key frond traits and basic care, and see why Platycerium bifurcatum is suggested as a first plant.
Key takeaways
- Feel the moss and water when it is slightly dry; don't water on a daily schedule.
- Soak the plant when watering, then let it drain.
- Start with indirect light and avoid sudden harsh sun.
- When mounting, use a wood board and sphagnum moss, and secure the roots well.
- Leave normal old brown shield fronds in place.
Intro
Some staghorn ferns can grow over two meters, while another kind goes dormant during the dry season, so shriveled leaves don't always mean it's dead. There's also the only species native to South America, whose fertile fronds can reach two meters. We'll cover all eighteen species and then pick a first beginner plant.
What Are Staghorns?
Staghorn ferns have two types of fronds: sterile basal fronds cover the roots, while the projecting fertile fronds have sporangia underneath, so don't wipe them off. They mainly grow on trees as epiphytes rather than parasites, with the host mainly providing support. Shield fronds catch fallen leaves, which decompose and provide nutrients.
Australia + New Guinea
In Australia and New Guinea, Platycerium bifurcatum has fertile fronds that repeatedly fork in two, mature shield fronds that naturally turn brown, and pups growing from the base; its native range includes Australia. Australian P. hillii has root-covering shield fronds and can produce multiple pups, while eastern Australian P. superbum has nest fronds about one meter wide and fertile fronds reaching two meters. Eastern Australian P. veitchii has upright, forked fertile fronds with obvious silvery hairs, and New Guinea's P. wandae has shield fronds forming a tall crown and is one of the largest species.
Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia, P. ridleyi has raised, brain-like shield-frond veins and distinctly upward fertile fronds; its native range includes Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. P. coronarium occurs across maritime Southeast Asia and has broad, upright sterile fronds with fertile fronds reaching about 4.5 meters; P. holttumii has tall silvery sterile fronds with one long and one short first fork; and P. wallichii, found from South Asia to Southeast Asia, has broad, deeply lobed mature fronds and can go dormant for months. Java-native P. willinckii has long, slender, drooping fertile fronds and readily produces pups, while P. grande is recorded wild in the Philippines, has long drooping mature fertile fronds, and can have four main branches.
Africa + Madagascar
In Africa and Madagascar, P. madagascariense has a native range including Madagascar, where the Madagascar form usually has darker and more-forked fertile fronds; its shield fronds also have raised, textured veins and can form ant chambers. Tropical African P. elephantotis has broad fertile fronds with few branches and sterile fronds with wavy upper edges; P. ellisii has little native-range information, can grow in mangroves, and requires shade and high humidity in cultivation; central and western African P. stemaria has a V-shaped opening in its shield fronds, which can turn brown in fall and winter. P. quadridichotomum has an uncertain native range, fertile fronds that can split into four tips, and wild droughts that can last half a year, during which its fronds curl into tubes.
South America
Platycerium andinum is native to Bolivia and Peru and is the only staghorn fern species native to South America. Its fertile fronds reach about two meters and can encircle tree trunks in the wild.
Beginner Q&A
For watering, feel the moss first and water when it is slightly dry instead of following a daily schedule; soak it, then drain. Start with indirect light and avoid sudden harsh sun. To mount it, use a wood board and sphagnum moss and secure the roots well; normal old brown shield fronds should be left in place.
Real Log: Day 4
Little Deer, a Platycerium bifurcatum on the balcony, moved in on Day 0. Day 4 was October 12, when Taipei reached 33 degrees, with humidity at 55, UV at 9, and no rain; a baseline photo and comparison shot showed new fronds unfurling left, right, and below, plus one more fertile frond. That day, the plant was moved into shade and watered.
Outro
For a first staghorn fern, the suggested choice is Platycerium bifurcatum. It multiplies through pups and tolerates lower temperatures better than most species. Follow a wet-dry watering cycle rather than watering by schedule, and you can log its growth in PLNTverse.