COVER
Amaumau ferns in the Kilauea Section, Hawaii National Park
DEDICATION
To Mr. Eugene Horner, Member of the Board ofDirectors of the Hawaii Natural History Association,whose interest in Hawaiian ferns has extended over morethan a half a century, and whose enthusiasm and willingassistance in collecting and identifying ferns has been ofinvaluable help, this booklet is dedicated.
PRINTED BY
14ND PUBLICATIONS & PRINTING OFFICE
PEARL HARBOR, T. H.
1952
HAWAII NATURE NOTES
THE PUBLICATION OF THE
NATURALIST DIVISION, HAWAII NATIONAL PARK
AND THE HAWAII NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION
VOL. V JUNE 1952 NO. 1
Ferns of Hawaii National Park
by
DOUGLASS H. HUBBARD
Park Naturalist[1]
SPECIAL ISSUE PRICE 50 CENTS
G. O. Fagerlund
Stately tree ferns border a road in Hawaii National Park
INTRODUCTION
Ferns are among the most interesting plants in the plant world. Varietiesin Hawaii range from dainty filmy ferns less than one inch in length to statelytree ferns over 40 feet high, and inhabit areas varying from dry, barren lavaflows to impenetrable rain jungles.
More primitive than flowering plants, ferns reproduce by means of small,dust-like bodies called spores. These spores are often carried in the air, andare so lightweight that they can be blown for thousands of miles by winds.The ferns of Hawaii, or their ancestors, apparently reached these islands withthe help of winds, except for those introduced recently by man.
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK
Hawaii National Park belongs to the American people. When it was setaside by Congress in 1916 the three volcanoes, Haleakala, Mauna Loa, andKilauea were of principal interest. It has become increasingly apparent thatthe beautiful forests of native trees, the birds which depend upon Hawaiianplants for survival, and the magnificent fern jungles are of equal importanceand more in need of protection. Outside of the park, trees such as the koa(Hawaiian mahogany) and the ohia are being cut for lumber, and tree ferns,upon whose trunks orchids are grown, are rapidly being taken for this expandingindustry. The National Park Service has been given the responsibility of keepingits areas in as nearly an original condition as possible—a little bit of America,unspoiled. Hawaii National Park—your park—is among the most o