14 March 2005

I picked up this magnificent Platycerium bifurcatum, commonly known as a staghorn fern, at Oak Hill Gardens during my spring trip to the Chicago area in 2005.  Staghorn ferns are epiphytes just like most tropical orchids, so they share similar growing conditions.  In that respect, it's not all that unusual to find a plant like this at an orchid grower.  Oak Hill actually had several different types of rare and interesting non-orchid tropicals when I was there, and at extremely good prices, too.  I suppose that when one is in the business of growing orchids, "normal" houseplants just aren't all that hard to raise. This plant is growing in sphagnum moss in an open wooden basket.  This makes watering a task best completed over the sink, since there's no saucer to catch drips and no pot to hold water.  Notwithstanding, this plant only needs to be watered a couple times a week, and its tolerance for average home humidity makes it an excellent houseplant. Click on the thumbnail to view detailed image.