Platycerium andinum Polypodiaceae fleshy sepals with distinct keels

fleshy sepals with distinct keels (carinae)

Each blossom serves as a testament to the incredible variety found in South American orchid flora

such as shades of green

Resembling a horse's saddle or a dove in flight

The leaflets are long and spread out from a central point

Platycerium andinum Polypodiaceae fleshy sepals with distinct keelsP. andinums are tall slender staghorns. The shield fronds form very distinctive crown like tops and when the fern is well established around the tree, it looks like a crown from all sides. The andinum grows new shield fronds once a year in the winter and then they turn brown. The shield fronds, are thick, possibly 1 8th of an inch thick