Staghorn Fern -Exploited by landscape merchants

The beauty of the leaf fronds have attracted many house gardeners to decorate their patio with plants having "dangling" leaves.

Such fancies and popularity had encouraged many nurseries to head for the villages and riverside valleys to hunt and harvest these plants for a quick profit.

Staghorn ferns harvested from the forest are matured plants. The plant had developed into the shape of a round basin near to a meter in diameter, growing amidst a vertical branch like a "crow nest" on a ship mast.

In a single nest, the plant usually have propagated themselves through a network of rhizomes.

Therefore it is quite usual to have at least 3 or more adults growing from each rhizomes. Hence easily 9 more more plants forming a ring.

Nursery operators just cut and divide the portion of the nest according to the presence of the plants, as this picture shows.

These individual plants are then offered for sale at a price of RM80 -120, depending on the length of the leaf fronds present.

Here like pretty maids in a row, most likely coming from one single nest, they are hung for display.

In a single nest, the plant usually have propagated themselves through a network of rhizomes.

Therefore it is quite usual to have at least 3 or more adults growing from each rhizomes. Hence easily 9 more more plants forming a ring.

Nursery operators just cut and divide the portion of the nest according to the presence of the plants, as this picture shows.

These individual plants are then offered for sale at a price of RM80 -120, depending on the length of the leaf fronds present.

Here like pretty maids in a row, most likely coming from one single nest, they are hung for display.

It is now quite a common sight to see theses "shanghai" plants hanging lifelessly at each corners of the nurseries.

Infant plants from dispersed spores and germinated in the wild are also available.

Those with only the nest leaf at RM 25 while the older one with a tiny leaf frond can fetch up to RM50.

It is a waste of effort to take home one of these pathetic looking plants with the hope that new fronds will be sprouted in 3 months time.

If you really like to keep one in your garden, please select those small plants propagated from spores.

They are cultured in the urban environment. The picture shows that they are available at MR 15.00 each

The next time you are driving in the rural roads or trekking in the deep jungle, keep a look out.

.Let's us have a look at what some house owners do with the plants.

This one has the whole garden filled with one type of plants

They are simply beautiful to look at. But they look even better in the wild. With them remove, there will be less interesting encounter and less fun going into the wild.