Platycerium Willinckii  Bloomei
 

 
The Platycerium Bloomei is a widley considered a cultivar of P. hillii because of its wide fertile fronds.  But my observations suggest the Bloomei is a P. willinckii.

The following comments are my personal observations of my Bloomei.  The fertile fronds are narrow at the bud and flare out excessively towards the tip forming a wide P. hillii type frond and this leads many to assume the Bloomei is in the P. hillii family.  But P. willinckii also have wide fertile fronds.  My bloomei has 12 healthy fertile fronds protruding from the bud forming a dense cluster of fronds, where most staghorns have half that number.  I find this number of fertile fronds typical in other P. willinckii.  It also appears the fertile fronds start growing edgewise from the bud and turn horizontal as they mature.  This is a P. willinckii trait.  My Bloomei has been growing under a 50% shade cloth and the resulting color is light green on the top with no hairs and the bottom is whitish with many hairs.

 

 


The spore patch begins at the tip of the frond and extends past the fork in the frond.  As the spore patch matures the tips of the fertile frond curl inward.  This curling trait is found on P. Willinckii Weeks.

 

 

 

 


The shield frond form an open basket with shallow 2 inch lobes at the top.  The shield fronds start turning brown near the bud and and the brown edges to ward the tips forming a nice rich brown color.  This also more of a P. willinckii trait than a P. hillii.


My observations suggest the Bloomei is in the P. willinckii famly and not the P. hillii family.

 
 

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