Uluhe is often thought of as an annoying plant. To hikers it can be scratchy, and its tangled webs call out for the machete to clear the trail. To Volcano’s gardeners it makes a mess. Its dead lower fronds form a brown, unattractive sight and in droughts may pose a fire hazard.
But for most people it goes completely unnoticed. Uluhe is a climber and a sun-lover, so in Volcano it quickly shoots for the tree tops where it blends in with the leaves. But unlike the climbing morning glory which smothers the tops of trees, uluhe sits just below the top, content with its secondary position. How considerate!
You may well ask, if uluhe is a sun-lover, what is it doing in Volcano? The simple answer is it is here to heal. Uluhe often gets its start on disturbed areas, such as landslides or cleared lots where lots of sun is available. From there its forking pattern forms mats and covers the ground stabilizing the soil. The native seed bank can then use this protection to grow. For this reason the indigenous uluhe is referred to as a healer plant.
One special feature of this fern is its attractive fiddlehead, which is tall, thin and dark purple. Although uluhe does not command much respect generally, its fiddlehead is often photographed and featured in art.
Our commonly-seen uluhe has the scientific name Dicranopteris linearis, which is a member of the false staghorn family. Other family members, which are not commonly seen in Volcano, are Diplopterygium pinnatum and Sticherus owhyhensis. These three uluhe are sometimes referred to as Dic, Dip and Stic. Dip is a large-leaved uluhe, without forked branching and Stic has a lot of branching.
To see the two uncommon ones, you might have luck on the Army Road off Stainback Highway. It comes as a surprise to see these two such unusual-looking uluhe. And as an added bonus, these two forms are both endemic to Hawaii.
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