HAWAII NATURE NOTES
THE PUBLICATION OF THE
NATURALIST DIVISION, HAWAII NATIONAL PARK
AND THE HAWAII NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

(20) LAUKAHI OR CLIFFBRAKE

Found in both sections of Hawaii National Park, the laukahi is found most frequently in dry areas. In the Kilauea section it has been found at elevations ranging up to 9,500 feet. The segments of the fronds, known technically as PINNAE, are blue-gray in color and are often shaped like a clover leaf, particularly when the fern is growing in shade. The PINNAE are usually rolled up lengthwise, hiding the reproductive structures. Hillebrand (5, p. 633) lists this species as occurring on Maui, Hawaii and Kauai, and over the High Andes from Chile to Mexico.

LAUKAHI or Cliffbrake. D, (20).