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Platycerium
Willinckii
Bloomei |
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The Platycerium Bloomei is a
widley considered a cultivar of P. hillii because of its wide
fertile fronds. But my observations suggest the Bloomei is a
P. willinckii.
The shield frond form an open basket with shallow 2 inch lobes at the top. The shield fronds start turning brown near the bud and and the brown edges to ward the tips forming a nice rich brown color. This also more of a P. willinckii trait than a P. hillii. |
| My observations suggest the Bloomei is in the P. willinckii famly and not the P. hillii family. |
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The
following comments are my personal observations of my Bloomei.
The fertile fronds are narrow at the bud and flare out excessively
towards the tip forming a wide P. hillii type frond and this
leads many to assume the Bloomei is in the P. hillii family.
But P. willinckii also have wide fertile fronds. My
bloomei has 12 healthy fertile fronds protruding from the bud
forming a dense cluster of fronds, where most staghorns have half
that number. I find this number of fertile fronds typical in
other P. willinckii. It also appears the fertile fronds
start growing edgewise from the bud and turn horizontal as they
mature. This is a P. willinckii trait. My Bloomei
has been growing under a 50% shade cloth and the resulting color is
light green on the top with no hairs and the bottom is whitish with
many hairs.
The
spore patch begins at the tip of the frond and extends past the fork
in the frond. As the spore patch matures the tips of the
fertile frond curl inward. This curling trait is found on
P. Willinckii Weeks.