Platycerium
Platycerium alcicorne
round shield staghorn fern
- Latin
- Platycerium alcicorne
- Chinese
- 圓盾鹿角蕨
- Japanese
- アルシコルネ
- English
- round shield staghorn fern
Platycerium alcicorne, the round shield staghorn fern, is the type species of the genus and comes from East Africa and Madagascar. Its shields are round, smooth and hug the board; its narrow, wedge-shaped fertile fronds fork repeatedly. A prolific pupper that tolerates sun, dry air and moderate humidity, it is one of the easiest species. Two forms exist, mainland African and Madagascan.
Care notes
Native habitat
Platycerium alcicorne grows in East Africa (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and neighbours) and on Madagascar, the Comoros and the Seychelles, in seasonally dry woodland and coastal forest, on trunks and often on rock. It is the type species of the genus. A real dry season at home is why this staghorn fern tolerates drought and ordinary room humidity better than most.
Light
It likes light. Shade 30–50% in summer; too little light and the fertile fronds stretch thin while the shields stay flat. Near-full sun is fine in winter.
Water and humidity
Let the mount dry before soaking, every three to five days in summer and weekly or less in winter. It grows at 40–60% humidity. The African form takes more wet than the Madagascan form, which wants a little more air humidity and shelter from wind.
Medium and mounting
Temperature and seasons (temperate, indoor)
Ideal 18–30 °C. It summers happily outdoors in bright shade. Below 10 °C growth slows into a semi-rest; reduce water rather than stopping it. Above 15 °C it keeps growing all winter on a bright windowsill.
Common problems
- Thin, stretched fertile fronds: not enough light.
- Soft brown shield edges: too wet, not enough air.
- Scale in winter: common indoors, check the undersides regularly.
- Sold as alcicorne, actually bifurcatum: the name was misapplied to the Australian species for decades, so treat old labels with care.
Collector notes
African vs Madagascan form. The mainland form has round, smooth, waxy, yellow-green shields with almost no hair; the Madagascan form, sometimes sold as vassei, has darker shields with a ridged, wrinkled crown, more stellate hair and finer, more evenly forked fertile fronds. Some authors rank them as var. madagascariense or var. vassei; Kew currently sinks P. vassei into synonymy. Not settled.
Alcicorne vs wallichii. Some overseas material attaches the name butterfly to alcicorne; in Taiwan that name belongs to the Asian P. wallichii. Alcicorne is multi-bud, round-shielded, with narrow repeatedly forked fertile fronds and spore patches near the tips of the segments. Wallichii is single-bud, with tall lobed shields that brown out completely in the dry season, broad fan-shaped fertile fronds in three uneven lobes, and two large spore patches in the first sinus.
Alcicorne vs ellisii. Both have rounded, glossy shields and juveniles are hard to separate. P. ellisii holds its fertile fronds upright, broad and wedge-shaped, split only once at the tip, and leaves a gap between shield layers; alcicorne forks two or three times into narrower segments and its shields lie flat on each other.
Mother-plant expression. Judge by how round and flush the shields sit, how evenly the fertile fronds fork, and how tight the clump is.
FAQ
What is the difference between the African and Madagascar forms of Platycerium alcicorne?
The African form has round, smooth, waxy, yellow-green shields with almost no hair. The Madagascar form, sometimes sold as vassei, has darker shields with a ridged, wrinkled crown, more stellate hair and finer, more evenly forked fertile fronds. It also wants a little more humidity. Some treat them as two varieties, others as one variable species.
Is Platycerium alcicorne the same as the butterfly staghorn fern?
No. Some overseas material attaches the name butterfly to alcicorne, but in Taiwan and most collector usage that name belongs to the Asian P. wallichii. Alcicorne is multi-bud with round entire shields, narrow repeatedly forked fertile fronds and no dormancy; wallichii is single-bud with tall lobed shields, broad fan-shaped fertile fronds and a full dry-season rest.
How do I tell Platycerium alcicorne from P. bifurcatum?
Alcicorne shields are round with an entire, uncut edge, and its fertile fronds are narrow, repeatedly forked and slightly wavy. Bifurcatum shields lobe shallowly at the top and its fertile fronds fork more deeply and broadly. The name alcicorne was misapplied to the Australian species for decades, so old labels and old books are unreliable.
Does Platycerium alcicorne produce pups?
Yes, generously. It is a multi-bud species and mature plants keep throwing pups until they form a clump. Grow it as a colony or separate a pup once it has a few fronds and its own roots. Spore propagation works as well.
Does Platycerium alcicorne go dormant in winter?
Not truly. Growth slows into a semi-rest below about 10 °C and continues above 15 °C. Reduce watering and keep it out of cold draughts; there is no need to withhold water the way you would for wallichii. In a temperate home it grows all winter on a bright windowsill.
How much light does Platycerium alcicorne need?
More than most species. Shade it 30–50% in summer and give it near-full sun the rest of the year. Too little light is the most common mistake: fertile fronds stretch thin and the shields stay flat. In good light the shields are full and round and the fertile fronds stay short with dense forking.