Platycerium bifurcatum (Cav.) C. Chr., Index Filic.: 496 (1906) (syn: Alcicornium bifurcatum (Cav.) Underw. ; Platycerium bifurcatum var. normale Domin ; Acrostichum bifurcatum Cav.) ; . E. Australia, Lord Howe Island, New Caledonia: Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., New Caledonia, New South Wales, Norfolk Is., Queensland, Sulawesi; Introduced: Canary Is., Colombia, Hawaii, KwaZulu-Natal, New Zealand North as per POWO; . Stag-horn fern; Elkhorn Fern; .
Orchid from Bakkala | 14Jul10AR02 – efloraofindia | Google Groups: 2 images.
This is the ‘Stag-horn fern’. A species of Platycerium. Platycerium wallichii may be Platycerium for sure not sure about the species it is not orchid but beautiful Stag Horn Fern. Any way it is Platycerium sp., P.bifurcatum – need confirmation. Staghorn fern. Yes, that’s right, it is not an orchid but a fern of Polypodiaceae, Platycerium bifurcatum. It is Australasian, not native to India but commonly cultivated, also commonly sold in garden centres in Europe. I have it growing outside here in Portugal (as there is no frost where we live not far from Lisbon). Platycerium species are rather strange looking, with their backing leaves and main leaves. One species, P. wallichii is native to India in Manipur (falsely reported also from Assam State), which is commoner in Myanmar, and is even stranger looking. Dr. Mao (Botanical Survey of India) managed to introduce it successfully to the superb BSI orchid garden at Shillong, Meghalaya, where it now grows happily on several trees there. |
Platycerium bifurcatum (Introduced)
Updated on December 24, 2024