Dicranopteris linearis

Thank you again to Krystyna Szulecka for sharing another of her excellent photographs (posted in this thread in the BPotD submissions forum). If you like, see more of Krystyna''s images by searching for “Krystyna” on the FLPA web site.

Given its distribution, it''s doubtless that Dicranopteris linearis has dozens of common names. Four names frequently used are Uluhe fern, climbing fern, false staghorn and Old World forked fern. As per GRIN, it can be found in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the Old World. That left me puzzled for a bit, as Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park lists it as indigenous and the USDA PLANTS database displays it as native to Hawaii The mystery was partially resolved when I looked at GRIN''s entry for Dicranopteris linearis f. marginata, noted to be found in Hawaii. So, it appears to be a small oversight that Hawaii isn''t included in the broader distribution list.

The Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has a photograph clearly illustrating the reason for one of the common names, climbing fern. More photographs, especially with respect to propagation, are available in the PDF suggested by Krystyna: The Propagation and Production of Uluhe Fern (Dicranopteris linearis) for Potential Use as a Restoration Species (a presentation given to the International Plant Propagators'' Society).

The New South Wales Flora Online provides a small scientific description of the species. Posted by: Daniel Mosquin    Source