One of the very rare ferns from Malaysia is the Huperzia Dalhausiana or Ekor Musang fern, which is extremely hard to come across. Apparently, some locals also call this the Ekor Tupai fern.
In my years of raring ferns and plants, I owned an ekor musang fern for several years before it passed on in the early 2000s.
Huperzia Dalhausiana or Ekor Musang Fern
Sadly, I lost my photos of this unique and rare fern, as back then, it was the first generation of digital cameras, and one of my hard drives from the early days went kaput.
Therefore, my objective is to share a photo and information about this non-talked about fern because most people have never seen this.
The photo of the Huperzia Dalhausiana here is taken from Charles Alford, a seasoned fern collector in the USA, and I am unsure if he still collects all sorts of rare ferns now.
This is a very spectacular plant when well grown, though a low growth habit and some species like this are very challenging to grow.
The key to growing Huperzia species is good air movement, with relatively high humidity and perfect drainage that is constantly moist but not soggy.
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| The rare and unique Ekor Musang or Ekor Tupai fern. Photo by Charles Alford. |
Ekor Musang or Tupai Paku Pakis
This is actually a very slow-growing species, where it will grow a few centimetres a year and can be quite challenging to rare.
When I obtained my only ekor tupai fern, it was just about 10 cm long. After a year, it probably grew about three of four centimetres longer.
And then I had to go overseas for work, and when I got back, the plant had passed on due to overwatering.
Charles Alford cultivated the Huperzia Dalhausiana to about 24 inches, and I wonder how long it took him.
Conclusion
This unique and rare fern is not known to most plant lovers because it is hardly seen in the market, or jungle fern collectors do not come across them.
The Huperzia Dalhausiana or Ekor Musang fern is native to Malaysia and possibly Thailand, Kalimantan and Indonesia.
However, there is not much information available on this particular species to date. I have only seen it once by owning it and having it for slightly over a year.
Check out my other articles on jungle ferns of Malaysia, which I have been raring and selling since 1990. After the year 2000, I have stopped selling rare ferns due to my other business.
If you have seen one or own a plant like this, please contact me as I would love to see it again. Also, this is not Ekor Kuching or Blue Fern, as many will think so.