The common staghorn fern,Platycerium bifurcatum,growing on a tree trunk in Victoria,Australia. P. bifurcatum is a native of temperate and tropical forest,widely distributed in Africa,Asia and Eastern Australia. It is also a popular house plant and garden plant,but requires frost protection in cooler climates.The picture shows the centre of a plant commencing growth in Spring. Two types of frond are visible. The flat veined green lamella is a sterile frond; at the end of the season this will turn brown and contribute to the "nest" made up of the dried sterile fronds of previous years ( top left ). From the centre of the sterile frond are growing a series of fertile fronds. Initially narrow with a serrated end,these develop into large forked structures bearing spores on their under surface | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Burgess, Dr. Jeremy |
Taille de l’image : | 3399 px × 5141 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |