Staghorn Fern Platycerium bifurcatum Tropical Live Epiphyte Plant Indoor Outdoor Hanging Basket Starter Size 4 Inch Pot Emerald R

Platycerium bifurcatum or Common Staghorn Fern has grown to be a Southern garden classic. These elegant ferns can be seen swaying from trees in the South as they likely have been for decades. The huge baskets of Staghorn fern seen most commonly are usually many years old as these ferns are quite slow growing. Elkhorn fern is a type of plant known as an epiphyte; this means that they grow readily on trees in a stunning display of commensalism. As leaf debris and old bark decay on a tree, they are washed down the tree's trunk by rain where the Staghorn fern is readily waiting for nutrients and water.

Staghorn ferns have two distinct types of foliage. The basal fronds that anchor the fern to the surface it grows upon are round and build upon themselves to create a bulbous appearance near the bottom of the plant. The characteristic 'staghorn' shaped leaves drape from the center of the plant and are often accented by soft brown clusters of sporangium on the underside.