Old World forked fern / uluhe / Dicranopteris linearis. Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.

Dicranopteris linearis is commonly known as Old World forked fern, uluhe (Hawaiian), and dilim (Filipino), Climbing Fern, or False Staghorn. This fern is a keystone species in Hawaiian ecosystems and often forms deep thickets. Dicranopteris linearis is widely distributed in the wet Old World tropics, Polynesia and the Pacific. The stem grows from the rhizome, branches at a 45° angle, and forms fronds that continue to bud and branch at great length, 20+ feet. Being intolerant of shade, it climbs over other plants to reach direct sunlight. As a pioneer species in ecological succession, it can colonize bare lava flows, talus, and abandoned roads. Where humans eliminate the fern, invasive species of plants can move in. This fern photo is from Awaawapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.

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Filename: 1701HAW-1751.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 5472x3648 / 7.0MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; PhotoBest Plantae nature plants

Dicranopteris linearis is commonly known as Old World forked fern, uluhe (Hawaiian), and dilim (Filipino), Climbing Fern, or False Staghorn. This fern is a keystone species in Hawaiian ecosystems and often forms deep thickets. Dicranopteris linearis is widely distributed in the wet Old World tropics, Polynesia and the Pacific. The stem grows from the rhizome, branches at a 45° angle, and forms fronds that continue to bud and branch at great length, 20+ feet. Being intolerant of shade, it climbs over other plants to reach direct sunlight. As a pioneer species in ecological succession, it can colonize bare lava flows, talus, and abandoned roads. Where humans eliminate the fern, invasive species of plants can move in. This fern photo is from Awaawapuhi Trail in Kokee State Park, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.