Platycerium willinckii

Platycerium willinckii is an accepted naturally occurring species in Polypodiaceae. A former treatment placed it within P. bifurcatum, but current Kew taxonomy accepts it at species rank.

Thomas Moore published P. willinckii in 1875 from a Veitch nursery plant derived from Java material collected by Jan Abraham Willink, for whom the species was named.

The accepted native range comprises Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Sulawesi.

The species grows on trees in primary and secondary monsoon forest from the lowlands to approximately 2,000 m elevation.

Platycerium willinckii produces additional rooted growing points and can develop into a colony rather than remaining a single crown.

Shield fronds reach approximately 70 by 50 cm, with elliptical upper portions divided as many as four times into long, uneven narrow lobes.

Fertile fronds are usually asymmetrical, densely hairy, approximately 25–90 cm long, and divided as many as five times into narrow terminal segments.

The most useful combination is colonial growth, tall repeatedly divided shields, and long narrow fertile fronds that arch or hang downward.

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

The species reproduces sexually through spores and clonally through additional rooted growing points that can be separated as pups.

Spore-grown Platycerium willinckii can vary in the shape of their shield-frond crowns.