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-(Quoted from page 145, 'The Place on Jennings Creek' by L.C. Peltier).

Aloha Kakou.

I ka wa kahio loa, long before the ancestors ever set foot on the Sovereign soil of Hawai'i kena, ferns flourished in abundance on the islands, in fact the oldest fossils Worldwide with fern content or their related allies are some 400 million years old.

Given the prevalence of ferns on the islands it is little wonder the ancestors used them as a source of food and natural medicine and later in traditional Hawaiian culture ferns were used as a wellspring for the making of glue for application in kapa [tapa bark cloth]. The uluhe fern was used as a remedy in tea, as was the fern ally moa for medicinal purposes. At one time at present day St. Andrews Cathedral on Queen Emma Square, at the top of Fort Street on the right there stood a fern house known as Kahaleuluhe which was used by one Ali'i he Mo'i Hawai'i.

Recently a new member here on Maoliworld posted a series of stunning colorful photographs of traditional Hawaiian pageantry i ka moku o Keawe, among them were three photographs of the 'ohia lehua [blossom] symbolizing to the Hawaiian National ho'ohanohano the strength and endurance of this tree.

We are often attracted to the introduced Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) a native of South Africa or the Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) floral beauties. Yet, strange as it seems the fern by way of opinion represents as a survivor under adversity the spirit of the Hawaiian National. For being in the minority you are in the background yet no floral Hawaiian mosaic can ever be complete without your blending to crown an authentic local tapestry.

Way back in 1858 Abraham Stansfield a fern enthusiast who worked as a general laborer in botany i na mokupuni Beretania wrote: "The bright colors of flowers are admired by the least intellectual but the beauty of form and texture of ferns requires a higher degree of mental perception and a more cultivated intellect for it's proper appreciation. Hence we regard the growing taste for the cultivation of ferns as proof of mental advancement."

At present 74% of native fern species are endemic and 26% of Hawaiian native fern species are indigenous. An aficionado of pteridophytes [ferns] once wrote: "If you wish to know ferns you must follow them." So it is today with hapa-Hawaiians e 'imi i ke ola mawaho, you will never know the kumu unless you listen to the Kupuna.

The laua'e used in hula ceremonies is actually an alien species [physmatosorus grossus]. In the design of "na make ke akua" the overhead ferns depicted represent the greens worn by dancers. As H.R.H. King David Kalakaua said: "Hula is the language of the people and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people."

Some ferns can thrive in desert like conditions on the islands dependent on their location, but have you noticed the true beauty of the common fern is revealed after a sprinkling shower of light rain or early morning dew? The latticed patterns of the ho'i'io often reveal tiny gentle spiders spinning webs in their fronds, this is nature at its best, the ultimate free show on earth to observe the industriousness of these tiny harmless creatures ke kahi i ke kahi is to understand the mystery of life itself.

Compared to naturally existent island Hawaiian bird varieties, or tree snails, only a few native Hawaiian fern species are believed to be extinct, but 29 species out of some 200 on the islands are either rare or have been categorized as endangered.

As with any botanical plant it pays to have a keen eye while out in the wilds, one endemic species was "discovered" as recently as 1988 yet it grows on the very slopes of Le'ahi in urban Honolulu, its horticultural 'inoa is doryopteris takeuchii.

Ferns are best left untouched and undisturbed in their natural environment for all to enjoy malama ka 'aina, the exception being where "developers" are clearing an area at such times it may be best to gather them up with permission and create a sanctuary in your garden or offer to do it for an elderly neighbor by way of kokua. As Poetess Christina Rosetti wrote:

"Hurt no living thing, Ladybird nor butterfly.

Nor moth on dusty wing. Nor Cricket chirping cheerily.

Nor grasshopper on light of leap. Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat.

Nor harmless worms that creep."

A pleasant local website is done by Ahahui.net, You will note the Ahahui newsletter on the right column of their webpage.