Plantwatch: staghorn ferns – the plants that form colonies like bees

Species on Lord Howe Island shows remarkable collaboration, with some plants deflecting water to colony and others soaking it up

Staghorn ferns are spectacular plants with fronds that look like antlers, and make very attractive houseplants. One particular species, Platycerium bifurcatum, grows on Lord Howe Island in Australia and lives in colonies of hundreds of individuals.

A recent study found that these plants cooperate with each other, rather like a colony of ants or bees. The ferns in a colony come in different sizes, shapes and textures but fit together like jigsaw pieces and collaborate with each other to store water and nutrients for the whole colony - especially important because the plants grow high up on trees without soil or much water.