FOLIAGE PLANTS 365 



the pot closely ; the fertile are upright or drooping, and 

 are cleft at the tip, resembling the antlers of a deer. The 

 sterile fronds are sometimes slightly cleft. With the ex- 

 ception of alcicorne, all species are tropical. Alcicorne is, 

 therefore, the easiest to cultivate, and is the most fre- 

 quently seen. The spores are produced in great numbers 

 in irregular patches on the upper or under sides of the 

 forked fronds. In their native habitats, these ferns grow 

 mostly on the trunks of trees, and the abundance of sterile 

 fronds often forms immense clusters. 



Habitat. Western Africa, Java, North Australia and 

 Malay Peninsula. 



574. Culture. Stag-horn ferns are most frequently 

 seen in conservatories but are often grown commercially. 

 If their character is understood, they are not difficult to 

 grow ; being epiphytes, they will not tolerate heavy soil 

 nor much water at the roots. They require a humid 

 atmosphere, but the humidity should be reduced during 

 the winter. They grow excellently on the trunks of tree 

 ferns. A mixture of one-half peat soil, one-fourth char- 

 coal, and one-fourth chopped sphagnum moss is first 

 bound firmly about the root system. The trunks of the 

 ferns are then wrapped in sphagnum and the stag-horn 

 ferns bound to these with copper wire. After the sterile 

 fronds have gained a foothold, all that is necessary .is to 

 add a little more sphagnum moss each year. When once 

 established, they should remain undisturbed indefinitely. 

 If not grown on the trunks of other ferns or palms, they 

 may be attached in the same way to a board or log. Select 

 some durable wood, such as cypress or cedar, and bind on 

 a layer of sphagnum moss. The plant is then attached 

 to the board by copper wire. If grown in pots, the pots 

 should be nearly full of broken pots or charcoal, then filled 



