Floating antlerfern (Ceratopteris pteridoides) profile

Floating Antlerfern (Ceratopteris pteridoides), also called water horn fern, is very different from its predecessors in life habits, body and petiole shape. Floating Antlerfern is 20 -- 30 cm tall; The base of petiole, axis, and lower pinnae are conspicuously inflated into a cylindrical shape, and the base of petiole is pointed and covered with slender roots. Sterile leaves are simple, deeply lobed, green, smooth, petiole about 8 cm long, 1.6 cm thick, leaf blade ovate-triangular, lobes broadly banded.

Floating Antlerfern picture

Morphological features of Floating Antlerfern

Floating Antlerfern is 20 -- 30 cm tall; The base of petiole, axis, and lower pinnae are conspicuously inflated into a cylindrical shape, and the base of petiole is pointed and covered with slender roots. It can fertile leaves green when tender, brown when mature, smooth, stalk 5-8 cm long, 1.2-2.7 cm thick; Leaf blade is 15 -- 30 cm long, broadly triangular,2 -- 4 pinnate; Terminal lobes margin of Floating Antlerfern is thin and transparent, strongly lobed back to the main vein, covered with sporangium, linear or horny, acuminate, 2 -- 7 cm long, 2 mm wide. The sporangium grows along the small veins on either side of the main vein and is covered with inverted leaf margins when young and opens at maturity to reveal the sporangium.  

Floating Antlerfern's ecological habits

Floating antlerfern often floats in small sheets in a lake or pond. The cultivated plants grew well at 22-30 ° C. And the water temperature is too high or too low, will lead to abnormal growth and development of plants, and sometimes even die.It has strong adaptability to the water environment. Floating Antlerfern can be used for medicinal purposes. The stem and leaves can be used in medicine to treat viviparum and eliminate phlegm. The young leaves can be used as vegetables.

Floating Antlerfern's cultivation 

Floating antlerfern is a kind of plant that floats or grows well in tap water. During the summer and fall growth periods, an appropriate amount of liquid fertilizer can be applied to the cultivation containers on a weekly basis. The environment should not be too cool, otherwise the growth will become weaker and weaker. After transplanting, weeds should be removed in time. If necessary, topdressing can be applied once or twice to improve the ornamental effect.

Floating Antlerfern propagation

Floating Antlerfern is easier to reproduce because large plants on the surface of the water multiply quickly by spawning smaller plants. Also use spores to propagate, choose healthy and mature spore leaves as propagation materials, spores down, slightly pressed, heat preservation and moisturizing, when the seedlings grow 3-5~~N-I-, can be transplanted.

Floating Antlerfern's area of distribution

Floating Antlerfern is found in provinces south of the Yangtze River in China, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, eastern India, etc.

Floating Antlerfern's endangered rating

Floating Antlerfern belongs to the second class national key protected plant.

Floating Antlerfern garden use

Floating Antlerfern is beautiful in shape and can be planted in blocks in the shallow water of garden waterscape. It has a good ornamental effect. Floating Antlerfern can also be planted along the bank, pond side and pool side or grown in patches. Floating Antlerfern is also possible to plant alone in a small waterscape.