Platycerium hillii
Wide Fertile fronds, Rounded Shield Fronds
The Platycerium hillii is native to Queensland, Australia.  Typically the shield fronds are roundish or kidney shaped.  The shields grow close together, tightly pressed, into layers of old fronds.  Top edge is wavy or shallow lobed.  The shield fronds grow in fall and winter months.  Because the shield frond grow close to its mounting, getting water to the root ball can be challenging.  P. Hillii collect water in the fertile fronds at night time from evening dew.  Possibly this species normally grows in a wet region and the shield fronds limit the amount of water entering the root ball or rizhome preventing rot.

The fertile fronds are erect with long wedge-shaped base and a broad top. May be dark green or light green in color depending upon the amount of light, with vertical pronounced veins.  The tops are waxy with fuzzy hair on the underside.  Spore patches form on the underside of tips.

There appears to be two forms of the P. hillii fertile fronds.  One form has long narrow fingers on a broad frond and the other form has short fingers on a broad frond.  In addition there is P. hillii 'Hula Hands' with even shorter fingers on a broad frond.

There are several cultivars within this species.  Jimmie, Drummond, Pumilum, Panama, Hula Hands,  and a few unnamed variants.  Most, if not all P. hillii are very hardy and produce many pups.

Generally speaking, in the northern hemisphere November is the time to remount P. hillii as beginning in December new shield fronds will start forming and cover the mounting media.

image 1 P. hillii Jimmie (left) is a cultivar from the Steve Talnadge Fern Nursery in San Diego prior to 1974.  The vertical veins in the fertile fronds are less pronounced and the underside has a fuzzy hair appearance.  The shield fronds tend to hug the mounting making it difficult to water.  We have had 4x4 patio post rot out because the plant tightly hugs its mounting and they never dry out.  The shield fronds can be very tall and majestic while the fertile fronds have long fingers on a very broad frond.  
 

The P. hillii Delight (right) has huge broad fertile fronds with rounded lobes on the finger ends.  Very rare

Recent observations of the P. willinckii Bloomei show similar shaped fertile frond as shown here.  They are very narrow as the sprout out of the bud and become quote large as they get into a less crowded area.  With the P. willinckii there are twelve fertile fronds making it quite crowded near the bud.

http://www.rainforestflora.com/store/images/10715/full/
http://www.rainforestflora.com/store/images/10690/full/ P. hillii, cv. Bloomei (left) is similar to the cv. Jimmie, but the vertical veins in the fertile fronds are more pronounced and there is little or no fuzzy hair on the underside.  Some times the Bloomei is classified as its own species, P. bloomei but it is probably a cultivar, P. hillii cv Bloomei.

Recent observations of the Bloomei suggest it is in the P. willinckii family and not the P. hillii family.  Check out this link for more information on P. williicnkii Bloomei

  
 

P. hillii, cv. Diversifolium (right) is reported to be a larger growing variety than most P. hillii.

Further studies have determined the Diversivolium is a hybrid of P. bifurecatum and P. hillii.

http://www.rainforestflora.com/store/images/10701/full/

P. hillii, cv Panama (left & right) is a small slow growing hillii and ideal for limited space where one can not afford to grow a humongous platy.

The photo on the right is a well established P. hillii cv Panama from Norm Nakanishi's garden at LAIFS.  It clearly shows the wide multi fingered fertile frond.  There is a unique web page for the Panama

P. hillii, cv Hula Hands (right) is a unique platy with small finger like tips on the fertile fronds.  The Hula Hands is one of two platy's from Polynesia. The South Seas is the other one.  I have a YouTube video on the Hula Hands you might want to review at this link.  Since publishing the video, I notices a unique coloring of a dying fertile frond as seen in this photo.

 

 

 

Large P. Bloomei from West central Gulf Coast of Florida submitted by Denise.  Notice how big the fronds are on the left photo. 


Recent observations of the Bloomei suggest it is in the P. willinckii family and not the P. hillii family.  Check out this link for more information on P. williicnkii Bloomei

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Platycerium hillii 'Bloomei' photo is from Tom Gauci's collection in Huntington Beach.  Nice dark green and wide fertile fronds.

Recent observations of the Bloomei suggest it is in the P. willinckii family and not the P. hillii family.  Check out this link for more information on P. williicnkii Bloomei
Platycerium hillii 'Siam Willin' is another from Tom Gauci's collection in Huntington Beach.  It is believed to be an import from Thailand.
This Platycerium hillii 'Geni' is from Tom Gauci's collection in Huntington Beach.  Notice the nice wide fertile fronds and dark green

 

 

This P. hillii 'Mayii' is from Tom Gauci's collection in Huntington Beach.  Nice wide deeply forked fertile fronds typicall of P. hillii.
This platycerium has been identified as a P. hillii cv Black by Lyus Ciapus Flora on Planet Platycerium in Facebook.  Similar color to the P. hillii Delight above but the fertile fronts are significantly different.

This staghorn was on display by the San Diego Fern Society at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, California.  I feel it is a P. hillii because ths shield fronds are round on top and the fertile fronds are wide with long narrow fingers as shown on right.  The spore patch is also unique as it extends from the tip to past the fork in the frond.  I wish I new more about the identity of this platycerium.
       

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