Staghorn Fern

An unusually large award-winning epiphytic fern has found a new home at the western edge of the Perennial Garden! The plant is a 50+-year-old Staghorn Fern and won "Best in Show" at the San Francisco County Fair Flower Show twice in 1979 and again in 1983. The fern began as a single frond and has since grown to 10 feet wide, 8 feet tall, and weighs about 250 pounds. The fern was gifted to Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens by John and Monique Ziesenhenne.

Staghorn ferns are epiphytes, meaning they grow on the surface of a plant, deriving moisture and nutrients from the rain and air around it. Other examples of epiphytes include bromeliads, a variety of other ferns, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests. 

IN THE NEWS!

Pacific Horticulture Society: Giant Staghorn Fern Finds New Home at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Roxanne Perkins

Fort Bragg Advocate-News: Staghorn moves to the Mendocino Coast, Michelle Blackwell

SHARE YOUR STAGHORN PICS!

Be sure to tag Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on Facebook and Instagram or email your photos of and with the lovely staghorn fern. We will share them and credit your artwork!