Platycerium - Pokok Tanduk Rusa - Gold Fish Tail Plant

This post showcases a Platycerium plant from the fern species in the Polypod family, locally known as "Pokok Tanduk Rusa" or Deer's Horn (or Staghorn Fern) plant. In addition, Chinese called this plant as 金鱼尾巴厂 or Gold Fish Tail Plant.

This special plant is an air-plant, i.e. it does grow on the ground and it the wild, it can only be found on top of high trees. It squat on tree but it's not a parasitic plant. The interesting thing about this Platycerium sporophytes (adult plants) is that it have tufted roots growing from a short rhizome that bears two types of fronds, basal and fertile fronds. Basal fronds are sterile, shield or kidney shaped and laminate against the tree and protect the fern's roots from damage and desiccation.

In some Platycerium species the top margin of these fronds forms an open crown of lobes and thereby catches falling forest litter and water. Fertile fronds bear spores on their undersurface, are dichotomous or antler shaped (deer's horn) and jut out or hang from the rhizome (gold fish tail).


Water droplets dangling on the Deer's Horn (pokok tanduk rusa) plant.


See the tail? Gold Fish Tail plant. From Deer's Horn is grow into Gold Fish Tail.


Fresh Deer's Horn off-shoot emerging from the plant cluster.

Reference:
* Botany.com: Platycerium - Staghorn Fern


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