Biology:Platycerium

Short description: Genus of ferns

Platycerium
Platycerium bifurcatum from the Australian National Botanical Gardens, Canberra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Polypodiineae
Family:	Polypodiaceae
Subfamily:	Platycerioideae
Genus:	Platycerium Desv.
Species
Platycerium andinum Platycerium alcicorne Platycerium bifurcatum Platycerium coronarium Platycerium elephantotis Platycerium ellisii Platycerium grande Platycerium hillii Platycerium holttumii Platycerium madagascariense Platycerium quadridichotomum Platycerium ridleyi Platycerium stemaria Platycerium superbum Platycerium veitchii Platycerium wallichii Platycerium wandae Platycerium willinkii

Platycerium is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds. This genus is epiphytic and is native to tropical and temperate areas of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia , and New Guinea.

Description

Platycerium sporophytes (adult plants) have tufted roots, growing from a short rhizome, and bear two types of fronds - basal and fertile fronds. Basal fronds are sterile, shield- or kidney-shaped, and laminate against the tree, to protect the fern's roots from damage and desiccation. In some Platycerium species, the top margin of these fronds will grow into an open crown of lobes; catching rainwater, falling forest litter, bird/animal droppings, and even an occasional fallen deceased animal, these plants build up their own “compost” system of nutrition over many years.

Fertile fronds bear spores on their undersurface, are dichotomous or antler-shaped, and jut out or hang from the rhizome. The spores are born in sporangia, clustered in large sori that are usually positioned on the lobes, or at the sinus between frond lobes.

Some species of Platycerium are solitary, having only one rhizome. Other species form colonies when their rhizomes branch, or when new rhizomes are formed from root tips. If the conditions are right, the spores will germinate naturally, on surrounding trees. Platycerium gametophytes are a small, heart-shaped thallus.

Platycerium have diverged into four natural groups. Several Platycerium are strongly adapted to xeric conditions, with a naturally drought-tolerant metabolism method having been reported for P. veitchii.

Species

Image	Name	Distribution
	Platycerium alcicorne Desv .	Madagascar, Comoros Island, Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.
	Platycerium andinum Baker	Colombia, Bolivia and Peru.
	Platycerium bifurcatum (Cav.) C. Chr .	Australia states of New South Wales, Queensland, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.
	Platycerium coronarium (J. Koenig ex O. F. Müll.) Desv .	Indonesia Sumatra, Kalimantan, West Java, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
	Platycerium ellisii Baker	Madagascar only in the provinces of Antsiranana and Toamasina.
	Platycerium elephantotis Schweinf.	Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Dem. Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan and South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, tropical Africa
	Large antler fern (Platycerium grande (Fée) Kunze)	Philippines Province of Mindanao and Indonesia, in the Province of North Sulawesi and Gorontalo.
	Platycerium hillii T. Moore (Also referred to as a variety of Platycerium bifurcatum var. Hillii (T. Moore) Domin)	Australia Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Papua Indonesia.
	Platycerium holttumii de Jonch. & Hennipman	Malaysia, Northern Peninsular, State of Perlis, Kedah, Perak and Kelantan, Thailand and Indochina.
	Platycerium madagascariense Baker	Madagascar in the provinces of Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa and Toamasina.
	Platycerium quadridichotomum (Bonap.) Tardieu	Madagascar only in Ankarana, Bemaraha, Bemarivo, Montagne d’Ambre including Fôret d'Ambre.
	Platycerium ridleyi Christ	Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Indonesia Sumatra and Kalimantan.
	Triangle antler fern (Platycerium stemaria (P. Beauv.) Desv.)	Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Dem. Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea (incl. Bioko), Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sudan and South Sudan, Uganda, Principe, Sao Tomé, tropical Africa.
	Magnificent antler fern (Platycerium superbum de Jonch. & Hennipman)	Queensland and New South Wales.
	Platycerium veitchii (Underw.) C. Chr. (Syn .: Platycerium bifurcatum subsp. Veitchii (Underw.) Hennipman & M. C. Roos)	Queensland.
	Platycerium wallichii Hook .	Northeastern India, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and western Yunnan.
	Platycerium wandae Racib .	Papua New Guinea, Indonesia Papua and Maluku Island.
	Platycerium willinckii T. Moore (Also referred to as a subspecies of Platycerium bifurcatum subsp. Willinckii (T. Moore) Hennipman & M. C. Roos ).	Sulawesi and Java

Cultivation

The species Platycerium bifurcatum and Platycerium superbum are commonly cultivated as ornamental plants. These oddly shaped ferns grow on trees and rocks and can be found in gardens, especially tropical gardens.

Staghorns can be propagated by spores produced on the underside of the fertile fronds. Colonial Platycerium can also be vegetatively propagated by carefully dividing large healthy ones into smaller, separate plants. These new plants can then be attached to board mounts or be strapped to trees until they take to the tree themselves.

A mature staghorn can grow more than 1 metre (3.3 ft) wide.

Gallery

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  Platycerium superbum at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Australia

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  Platycerium bifurcatum from the Mendut Temple, Indonesia

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  Platycerium coronarium from Pahang, Malaysia

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  Platycerium grande from Bukidnon, Philippines

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  Platycerium elephantotis at Kaisaniemi Botanical Garden, Finland

References

• Holtum, Joseph A.M.; Klaus Winter (1999-01-01). "Degrees of crassulacean acid metabolism in tropical epiphytic and lithophytic ferns". Functional Plant Biology 26 (8): 749–757. doi:10.1071/PP99001. 

Wikidata ☰ Q1332675 entry