GardenLine | House Plants | The Staghorn Fern: A Rarity Worth Growing

Earlier this year a friend and fellow horticulture student suddenly found herself moving to Detroit. Because she was unable to take any houseplants with her I had the good fortune to be entrusted with her most prized plant, a staghorn fern.

Flying High

At first glance this unusual fern may not strike one as truly fern-like, since it lacks the lacy appearance of more common ferns. In English, its botanical name Platycerium bifurcatum means, "broad-horn twice-forked," and provides an accurate description of the plant's physical appearance. The green spore-bearing fronts resemble forked and flattened deer antlers. This dramatic and extraordinary fern is native to warm-temperate Australia. It has an "epiphytic" growth habit, that is, it grows high above the ground on the branches of trees. Its roots grow into and feed on the host plant, but never contact the soil. The plant does not injure the trees on which it suspends itself, but provides itself with a much brighter location than those plants restricted to the shaded forest floor. Because of its epiphytic nature, the staghorn fern does best in the house if tied to a piece of rough bark and permitted to slowly envelop its support. brown, sterile, papery fronds will clasp the bark and grow around it. If left, the fern will eventually grow out from the bark in all directions. The plant is normally suspended from the ceiling or hung on a wall. This provides plenty of room for the plant to spread and sets off its antler-like appearance to best advantage.

Cultivation

Though it may at first appear formidable, given the correct location, the staghorn fern will thrive in the home with a minimum of care. It performs best if given the same filtered sunlight it would receive through the leaves of the upper canopy of forest trees. Temperatures up to 24C are fine as long as the humidity around the plant is not allowed to drop. If high humidity cannot be assured, a cooler room, from 18 to 13C for the winter months, will help offset winter drying and also provide a period of rest.

Watering the fern is best done by plunging the entire plant into a large container of room-temperature water. During period of active growth, the plant may be left to soak for up to 15 minutes. During winter, water can be reduced by shortening the period that the plant should be quite dry before it is watered again. Some wilting between watering will be better for the plant than a continually sodden condition. Feeding is rarely required but you may wish to add one or two teaspoons of 20-20-20 per gallon of the water used to soak the plant in two or three times per year. After such a treatment the fronds should be rinsed with fresh water to remove any fertilizer left on them.

Propagation is accomplished by spores and is not practical in the home. Rarely will a staghorn fern grown in the home produce spores, and if spores are available, germinating them is slow and difficult. Older plants may, however, develop new growing points to the side of the original. If this occurs, these shoots can be carefully removed and established on their own piece of bark. This is accomplished by first wrapping the roots in damp sphagnum and then tying the root ball tightly to the bark with cotton string. Eventually the roots and sterile frond will grip the bark and support the plant.

Propagation

In spite of its dramatic appearance and easy care, the staghorn fern remains a rarity. Should you be lucky enough to find one for sale, I would certainly recommend you try this distinctly different plant.

© 1995 Brian Baldwin

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Sustainable horticultural information, offered free of charge to the public with the support of the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division, the Department of Plant Sciences and the Provincial Government.