Platycerium (Staghorn) Ferns As Epiphytes
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Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae
The Prehistoric Plant Species Platycerium Fern Wandae Has A Natural Living And Cultivating Habitat Of Papua , New Guinea And Can Be Found In The Areas Of Brown River And Port Moresby . At One Time This Species Carried The Unique Name Of Platycerium Fern (Wilhelminae Reginae) And Why The Botanist Changed Its Name Is Not Known , By The Nursery .
Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae Was First Imported And Introduced Into The United States By (Rudolf Ziesenhenne) In 1960 . Rudolf Received (Two) Imported Platycerium Fern Wandae From A Frenchman Who Shipped Them To Him In Two Quaker Oat Cereal Boxes And He Gave One , Of The Species , To A Friend And Kept The Other . Ziesenhenne Mounted His Platycerium Fern Wandae In A Bill Short Mounting Box Using Peat Moss And Pearlit As A Cultivating Medium . As Time Past The Species Became Very Large , Robust And Grew Well For Quite A Few Years . As Time Past Ziesenhenne Became Much Older Also And Reached A Point In Life Were It Became Very Difficult For Him To Care For His Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae . In 1999 He Made The Decision To Let Go Of The Plant Species And Gave It To Someone , But The Following Year The Long Lived Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae (Died) .
Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae Has Shield Fronds Like That Of Platycerium Fern Superbum , Holttumii And Philippine Grande . These Shield Fronds Are Light Green In Color , But Are Covered With Stellate Hairs And The Veins Within These Fronds Are Thick , Hard And Becomes The Main Holding Bond To Its Host Plant As The Species Becomes Larger , Gains Weight And Strives To Reach Maturity . There Are A Few Species Of Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns That Have A Frill At The Center Of Their Shield Fronds Around Their Growing Bud , But Only Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae Has A Frill Which Has Small Points Around The Outer Edges Of That Frill . The Small Points Resemble The Teeth Found Around A Drive Gear And Are Always Present After The Shield Fronds Have Reached A Diameter And Height Of Six To Eight Inches . When A New Shield Or Fertile Frond Begins To Emerge From The Species Growing Bud The New Frond Can Appear To Be Dead Until The Frond Has Grown Out Some , Because Of A Dark (Purple) Color Found Around The Fronds Outer Edges .
The Fertile Fronds Of Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae Can Begin To Develop Even When The Species Is Very Young . They Become Very Long And Will Have (Two) Spore Patches On Each Frond . One Spore Patch , On The Fertile Frond , Hangs Downward Like That Of Platycerium Fern Superbum , With Hanging Fingers And The Other Spore Patch Is Raised And Has No Fingers Like The Raised Second Spore Patch Of Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Holttumii .
This Species Is Not As Easy To Cultivate As Platycerium Fern Superbum And Must Dry Completely Back Before Watering Or Root Rot Will Quickly Set In . Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae Will Not Tolerate High Or Low Temperatures And Must Receive Excellent Air Movement In Order To Live And Survive . Temperatures Should Be Maintained Between (60) And (80) Degrees And The Humidity Around The Species Should Be No Less Than 65% , Along With Excellent Air Movement .
With A Little Care And Given Its Correct Cultivating Needs Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wandae Will Grow , Look Very Nice And Become Very Large . I Will Not Say It Is The Largest Platycerium Fern Species , Because I Have Seen Prehistoric Platycerium Superbum And Holttumii With A Shield Frond Span Across Its Top Of (8) Feet And Still Growing . When A Platycerium Fern Wandae Is Found Larger Than This It Will Be Reported By The Nursery . At Madagascar Tropicals You Will Also Find A Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Ridleyi That Is (2) Feet Wide And It Has Been Said This Is A Small Growing Species .
Madagascar Tropicals A Platycerium Fern Nursery
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