The Elkhorn Plant ‘Rhombophyllum Dolabriforme’

This succulent is native to South Africa and thrives in dry, sandy grassland. In terms of appearance, Elkhorn Plant resembles ice plants. It is a slow-growing flowering succulent that can add personality to your garden and spaces.

Family:	Polypodiaceae
Genus:	Rhombophyllum
Scientific Name:	Rhombophyllum Dolabriforme
Other Names:	Elkhorn Plant, Elkhorn Fern, Platycerium Alcicorne
Growth Season:	Spring and Summer Seasons
Preferred Temperature:	60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 to 26.7 degrees Celsius)
Hardiness Zone:	USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 12
Average Mature Height & Width:	93 cm tall and 79 cm wide
Toxicity:	Rhombophyllum Dolabriforme is non-toxic to both humans and animals. Therefore, you need not worry about leaving your pets or kids around this succulent.

Elkhorn Plant’s Physical Characteristics

This succulent is known to be a low semi-shrub branching plant. Like other succulents under the Rhombophyllum genus, Elkhorn Plant has spreading roots. The branches are erect and thick. It has beautiful leaves that are dull green and c-shaped with slightly flattened tips forming an elkhorn shape. The leaves grow in clusters around 3 centimeters long. During spring, Elkhorn Plant produces daisy-like yellow flowers around 4 centimeters wide. 

Make sure to follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Happy planting, and live the moment, my friend!

Elkhorn Plant Care

Generally, Elkhorn Plant is an easy-to-grow succulent. This succulent only needs regular watering to survive. Check if the soil is arid before watering to avoid root rot. When experiencing cold temperatures, lessen the watering schedule of your Elkhorn Plant. Watering your Elkhorn Plant once a week is enough during its growing season.

Typically, you’ll see this succulent attached to trees or mounted on the back boarding of a wall. It prefers slightly shaded locations with patches of sunlight. Indirect sunlight is suitable to avoid burning or drying off your succulent. Use a fern potting soil mixture for your Elkhorn Plant. You may create your mixture by combining two parts of orchid bark, two parts of sphagnum peat moss, and 1 part of vermiculite, pumice, or perlite.

Just like other succulents, well-draining soil is preferred by your Elkhorn Plant. Feeding your succulent helps in promoting growth. A general liquid plant food is enough, or you may also go natural and use banana peels as fertilizers. 

DO YOU KNOW? Caring (propagating, pruning/trimming, beheading, watering, …) is a set of skills that is applicable to almost every succulent. Read the in-depth succulent care guide right here >>

Richard from Succulent City

Elkhorn Plant Growth

It can be easily propagated through cuttings. Do not forget to allow the cuttings to be calloused for a few days before replanting. This is a crucial step to avoid infection in your new plant. Also, it is advisable to choose a healthy mother plant as it can ensure more success.

You may prune your succulent during its growing season to promote growth and avoid infecting the entire plant in case of pests or diseases. Since Elkhorn Plant is a slow-growing plant, you may only need to repot it sometimes. If it already outgrows its current pot, it is advisable to do the repotting during the growing season.

Mealybugs quickly infest this succulent. Stay attentive and watch out for any symptoms, such as discoloration or soft leaves, to immediately save your Elkhorn Plant. 

Before you leave …

You can see all kinds of succulents on Succulent City through this page. Or the previous/next plant:

If you find this article helpful/ interesting, don’t hesitate to share our article on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. The share buttons are right below 👇