Platycerium veitchii

Platycerium veitchii is an accepted naturally occurring species in Polypodiaceae and is native to Queensland, Australia.

Underwood published Alcicornium veitchii in 1905, and Christensen transferred it to Platycerium in 1906. The 1982 name P. bifurcatum subsp. veitchii is a former treatment rather than the currently accepted name.

The native range lies in northeastern and eastern Queensland from around the McLeod River to the Carnarvon region, mainly inland with some coastal and island occurrences around Townsville and Bowen.

The species usually grows on boulder piles, rock scree, and cliff faces in seasonally dry vine forest. It occasionally grows on trees or exposed tree roots in dry vine forest and Araucaria forest.

P. veitchii forms colonies with additional growing points produced through proliferating roots.

Shield fronds are approximately 20–45 cm long by 8–15 cm wide, with an upper edge usually divided into narrow finger-like lobes that may fork again and reach about 20 cm long.

Fertile fronds are narrow, densely covered beneath with white star-shaped hairs, and usually grow upright or ascending before dividing into 1–8 narrow terminal lobes.

The most useful combination is a colony-forming habit, dense silver-white hairs, narrow upright fertile fronds, and a shield crown divided into long thin fingers.

Dense reflective hairs, narrow fronds, sunken stomata, leaf rolling, and deeply divided shields help the species manage intense light and irregular water supply.

A physiological study found low-level CAM activity in P. veitchii, including a nighttime increase in leaf acidity but no net nighttime carbon uptake.

Genetic studies consistently place P. veitchii with P. bifurcatum, P. hillii, and P. willinckii. Five commonly used chloroplast markers could identify the broader group but did not reliably separate all four species.

A 2026 study found one sampled P. veitchii accession to be diploid and another tetraploid, with corresponding differences in genome and spore size.

The species produces fertile spores and forms additional rooted growing points that can continue the parent plant as pups.