Staghorn Fern

Member of Platycerium Family

These plants were hanging from the trees in the Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin. They are so unique and so beautiful.

The Staghorn or Elkhorn Ferns are epiphitic, meaning "air plants". They attach to trees or even rocks. They only need a host as a means of support as they produce their own nutrients. They are native to South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Austrailia and New Guinea. Click on the picture for a closer look, they are so unusual.

Air plants include: many ferns, certain cacti, orchids and the bromelaids. Also are lichens, algae, and liverworts. Our native Spanish Moss is in this category also. It grows in massive amounts on Caddo Lake in the Cypress Swamps. Strangely, they are related to the pineapple. The Staghorn gets it's name from the shape of it's fronds, resembling Stag or Elk horns.