Staghorn Ferns are increasingly popular among growers looking for something unusual. These ferns are epiphytic, which means they grow mounted on plaques or other substrates. They have two distinct leaf forms—small, flat leaves (known as shield fronds) that cover the root ball structure and take up water and nutrients; and green, pronged antler fronds that emerge from this base and can reach up to 3 feet in length indoors (and much larger in the wild).
Staghorn ferns, occasionally referred to as “stag head fern,” are so called for their resemblance to antlers. The stag plant can be grown in a hanging basket, mounted onto wood, or you can attach these to a tree since these ferns are epiphytes. They attach to tree bark via tufted roots that grow from a rhizome. Shield- or kidney-shaped basal fronds growing from the rhizome laminate against the tree, protecting the fern’s roots from damage and drying out. Fertile fronds jut out from the base, taking on the characteristic antler-like appearance and bearing spores on their lower surface.
The plant will be shipped with bare roots to reduce shipping charges. Its roots will be kept moistened and wrapped for transit.