Staghorn Fern SmallGrowerVaries

Staghorn fern (Platycerium Bifurcatum) makes an attractive ornamental sculpture for a wall indoors or seasonally outdoors in warmer climates. The Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit gave the nod to this plant in 1993. Their sterile heart-shaped basal fronds overlap and shield the base of the fern’s roots. Initially dull green and succulent, they turn papery tan to cinnamon-brown with age. The fertile or foliar fronds are brighter green, branched, and shaped like antlers grow from the base. Each frond forks into two or three portions several times along their length. Dark brownish masses on the underside of these fertile fronds’ tips are spores. Many pups grow to comprise the entire plant but can be removed. This plant is an excellent living wall sculpture to any back porch or brightly lit interior space.