Cultivar
Platycerium 'White Wing'
White Wing
- Latin
- Platycerium 'White Wing'
- Chinese
- 白翼
- Japanese
- ホワイトウィング
- English
- White Wing
White Wing is a staghorn trade name, usually given as a P. veitchii × P. willinckii hybrid, though some sellers simply label it willinckii. The fairly reliable features are whitish fertile fronds and pronounced white veins; fronds spreading like wings is a seller's description. Information is scarce and its history is unverified. Most plants on the market are sporelings that vary a lot, so judge by photos of the actual plant.
Care notes
What the name refers to
White Wing is a staghorn trade name. It is a trade name, not a registered cultivar, and we have not verified its history. Accounts of its parents split two ways: a Japanese seller gives it as a P. veitchii × P. willinckii hybrid, while an American seller and a Thai-shipped auction listing simply call it willinckii; none of them gives any basis, and we found nothing from the breeder, so we treat it as a hybrid, with "veitchii × willinckii" as the usual account rather than an established fact.
How to recognise it
- Whitish fertile fronds: mentioned by more than one source.
- Pronounced white veins: a Taiwanese nursery mentions pronounced veining, and two Instagram growers describe the white veins as prominent; one of them notes White Wing is not as white as expected, it is the white veining that stands out.
- One seller describes the fertile fronds spreading outward like wings; a Taiwanese nursery mentions densely forked tips at maturity; another seller says mature plants are medium-sized. Each comes from a single source.
We found nothing on the shape of the shields, the thickness of the white coat or the direction of any curl. White Hawk is a different trade name, and with so many names beginning with "white", check the English name carefully.
Care
The parents usually given, veitchii and willinckii, both take good light, like airflow and prefer a drier medium: bright, diffuse light to half sun, and water thoroughly once dry. The whiteness depends on light, and with too little the fronds turn green. No source mentions any particular sensitivity to heat or wet.
Sporelings vary a lot
Sporelings are the commonest form, with some pups; we found no tissue culture. If it really is a hybrid, its sporelings will vary widely and may not grow up to look like the mother.
Three questions before you buy
- How was it propagated? A pup is the same individual as its mother; sporelings segregate.
- Can you see a mature plant? How white it is only shows at maturity, so ask for photos of the mother or of mature plants from the same batch.
- What is the English name? Both White Wing and White Wings are used; make sure it is not White Hawk.
FAQ
Is White Wing a willinckii or a hybrid?
Accounts differ. A Japanese seller gives it as a veitchii × willinckii hybrid, while American and Thai sellers simply call it willinckii; none of them gives any basis, and we found nothing from the breeder. We treat it as a hybrid, with "veitchii × willinckii" as the usual, unverified account.
Are White Wing and White Hawk the same?
No, they are two separate trade names. Many staghorn names start with "white", so check the English and Latin names when you buy, and ask the seller for photos of the mother plant.
Other cultivars of the same species
Names selected from the same wild species, usually compared side by side.