Platycerium Desv., Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris

Smith, Alan R., Kessler, Michael, León, Blanca, Almeida, Thaís Elias, Jiménez-Pérez, Iván & Lehnert, Marcus, 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XL. Polypodiaceae, Phytotaxa 354 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Platycerium Desv., Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6(3): 213. 1827.

Platycerium , the genus of the staghorn ferns, is an unmistakable epiphyte with strongly dimorphic leaves, forming a “nest” of appressed sterile leaves, and hanging or arching, subdichotomously forked, fertile leaves. Interest in this genus in the horticultural trade is considerable, because of the highly unusual frond morphology. The sporangia are borne in extensive soral patches on certain parts of the pendent blades. The genus is also of biogeographic interest, with six species in Africa and Madagascar, 8–11 spp. in southeastern Asia/ Malesia / Australia, and a sole species in South America. The fronds also bear very distinctive, appressed, stellate hairs, a character shared with Pyrrosia .

Several authors have revised the systematics of Platycerium , including Hoshizaki (1972), and Hennipman & Roos (1982); they came to slightly different conclusions about the taxonomy and relationships of the group.Additionally, the genus has been the subject of molecular work ( Kreier & Schneider 2006), exploring phylogenetic relationships within the genus. That study produced the interesting result that the sole neotropical species is sister to a small clade of four species in Africa and Madagascar.