An unusual tropical plant, the staghorn fern is grown often as a houseplant or hanging plant. These fascinating plants often have multiple kinds of leaves which serve different purposes, some of which are antler-like in shape. And the shape gives this unusual type of plant its name, as if there were many green pairs of horns draping elegantly from the roots. Its shields are tall, wide, and wavy at the tip. They tend to be thin with spaces between them where debris collects. The wide fertile fronds are often shiny on the upper surface, and quite hairy on the underneath. The P. stemeria can show great difference in variety in length on the same plant, and how many ultimate tips they have, but all show a main division into the two lobes and each of these lobes divides once again. There are two spore patches on each fertile frond, one on each main lobe, in the area of its division. When mature, the spore patches are dark brown.
