Platycerium ridleyi ‘Monkey King’
plat-ee-SIR-ee-um RID-lee-eye MUNG-kee KING
Also recorded as: Monkey King · 美猴王 All names
Monkey King showing deeply ribbed shield fronds and upright foliage.
Shield frond · August 20, 2026 · © Haruhana · All rights reserved · Original source ↗︎Broad green fronds with ruffled edges are its most distinctive feature. The rounded fans contrast with the narrow, branching antlers of typical ridleyi.
- Species
- Platycerium ridleyi
- Reported origin
- Origin under review Details
Care
Care difficulty: AdvancedAs a ridleyi selection, Monkey King needs careful attention to humidity, airflow and seasonal temperature. Water the mount thoroughly and let it drain and dry between waterings; avoid both prolonged saturation and leaving it shrivelled and dry.
Give it bright filtered daylight, with strong sun softened by a sheer curtain or filtered shade. Increase sunlight or grow-light intensity gradually. Keep humid air moving around the crown and mount.
Keep it warm in winter and protect it from overheating in summer.
Description
Broad foliage fronds spread into fans, giving the plant a full, rounded appearance.
Rounded shield fronds cover the base of the plant. Raised veins give their green surface the deeply corrugated texture typical of ridleyi.
The projecting fronds form broad, fan-shaped blades with rounded lobes and strongly wavy edges. More leaf tissue fills the spaces between branches than in typical ridleyi.
Broad green fronds with ruffled edges are its most distinctive feature. The rounded fans contrast with the narrow, branching antlers of typical ridleyi.
Classification
Platycerium
Platycerium ridleyi
Names and usage
Original name · English
Translated name · Traditional Chinese
Translated name · Japanese
Origin & history
Reported originUnder review
Monkey King is a named selection of Platycerium ridleyi grown for its broad, ruffled foliage. Singapore plant business Mosscape photographed a plant under this name on 13 February 2021. In June 2022, Indonesian grower The Leaf Curator associated the name with a selected Wide Frond A2 plant and described propagation in a Taiwanese laboratory. Taiwan nursery Miki Orchid sells it as 美猴王, and Japanese nursery Frontier Plants documents tissue-cultured stock.
2021
The English name Monkey King appears in Mosscape’s February 2021 post. Taiwan nursery Miki Orchid pairs it with the Chinese name 美猴王. Japanese nursery Frontier Plants uses モンキーキング.
Supporting photographs
An angled view of Monkey King’s shield fronds around the base.
Shield frond · August 20, 2026 · © Haruhana · All rights reserved · Original source ↗︎Monkey King’s broad, fan-shaped fronds with ruffled edges.
Fertile frond · © Haruhana · All rights reserved · Original source ↗︎Lineage & species
Platycerium ridleyi
Propagation
- Tissue culture documented
- Produces fertile spores
Documented claims
Historical and factual accounts shown with their review status and supporting sources.
Naming
English and Chinese nursery names
Miki Orchid pairs Platy. ridleyi Monkey King with 美猴王.
Cultivation history
Name documented in February 2021
Mosscape photographed a wide-frond ridleyi under the name Monkey King on 13 February 2021.
Description
Broad fans and ruffled margins
Frontier Plants describes broad leaves with frilled ends; grower photographs show fan-shaped foliage with rounded marginal lobes.
Description
Corrugated shield fronds
The Japanese grower describes raised veins and a corrugated shield surface enclosing the plant’s base.
Cultivation history
Grower account of Wide Frond A2
In June 2022, The Leaf Curator associated Monkey King with selected Wide Frond A2 and reported laboratory propagation in Taiwan.
Propagation
Documented tissue-culture stock
Frontier Plants explicitly lists ridleyi Monkey King as tissue-cultured stock.
Propagation
Spore propagation at Haruhana
Haruhana, a plant nursery in Taiwan, reports propagating Monkey King from spores.
Sources
Miki Orchid
Miki Orchid: Platy. ridleyi Monkey King / 美猴王 ↗︎Date not establishedMosscape
Mosscape: wide-frond ridleyi named Monkey King ↗︎2021Frontier Plants
Frontier Plants: ridleyi Monkey King TC No. 7 ↗︎Date not established与那国
ビカクシダ リドレイ モンキーキング ↗︎2024The Leaf Curator
The Leaf Curator: ridleyi A-series and Wide Frond A2 ↗︎2022Haruhana; reported by Johnny Lee
Firsthand interviews with Haruhana about ridleyi spore propagationDate not established
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