Chien C. Lee

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  • Unlike most staghorn ferns which hold their shield fronds in an open basket-like shape to collect falling leaf litter, this unusual species (Platycerium ridleyi) clasps its leaves entirely around the host tree branch. The secret lies within: it plays host to a colony of ants which live underneath the sheltering enclosure of the fronds. As with other myrmecophytes (ant-plants), this fern gains its nutrients from the detritus that the ants leave behind, and it is frequently found growing in groups in the same tree (in addition to other species of ant ferns) that are inhabited by the same extensive ant colony. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Platycerium madagascaeriense, one of the most bizarre endemic plants of Madagascar. Like other staghorn ferns, this species is strictly an epiphyte, growing among the canopy branches of tall trees. It is becoming increasingly rare and difficult to find in the wild because of widespread deforestation in the wet submontane forests of the east coast. The unusual ruffled texture of the shield fronds is probably an adaptation to allow passageways for ants to live underneath – a relationship that is mutually beneficial for both plant and insect. Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar.
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  • Alpine grasslands with tree ferns (Cyathea tomentosissima) below Mount Trikora, the second highest peak in New Guinea
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  • Matonia pectinata, a rare and primitive fern found on rocky and nutrient-poor mountain ridges. North Sumatra, Indonesia.
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  • The genus Lecanopteris contains over a dozen species of epiphytic ferns, all of which are associated with ants (myrmecophytic). This species, L. mirabilis, which occurs in the Moluccas and New Guinea, has curious slug-like rhizomes which provide a sheltered space beneath for ants to live. The plant benefits from the presence of the ants because they deter herbivores and leave behind organic detritus. Halmahera, Indonesia.
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  • Angola Staghorn Fern (Platycerium elephantotis). Kibale National Park, Kabarole, Uganda.
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  • Dipteris lobbiana, a primitive rheophytic fern.  Like many rheophytes, this plant has slender leaves which are not easily torn in rushing flood waters. Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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