Tropicals > Platycerium > Platycerium bifurcatum > Platycerium bifurcatum
Platycerium bifurcatum
Elkhorn Fern
Origin: New Guinea, coastal Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.
| Family |
| Polypodiaceae |
| Genus |
| Platycerium |
| Species |
| bifurcatum |
| Category |
| Tropicals |
| Type |
| Ferns |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 9 - 12 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| Requires cool season protection under glass. |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H1a - H3 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| 1 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 25 |
| Height |
| 0.9 - 1.2 m |
| Spread |
| 0.9 - 1.2 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| An epiphyte native to coastal Australia and New Guinea, latching onto many different species of trees in the area. |
| Landscape |
| Can be trained to latch onto mature trees that can support it. Grow indoors in pots or containers in colder climates. |
| Cultivation |
| Plant in partial shade in wet to moist soils. |
| Shape |
| Mounding. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| Pests |
| Scale. |
| Habitat |
| Humid, wet coastal forests. |
| Leaf Description |
| Pronounced fertile fronds that are reminiscent of Elk's Horns. Fertile fronds are smaller and much less showy than the sterile larger fronds. Fertile fronds and small, simple-pinnate and are covered in a very loose fuzz. |
| Colour Description |
| rich green to grey-green sterile fronds. Darker green fertile fronds covered in a copper-brown fuzz. Woody-brown root. |
| Texture Description |
| Smooth. |
| Notable Specimens |
| Kings Park and Botanical Garden, Perth, Australia. |
| Propagation |
| By offsets of plantlets or spores. |
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