Image of pendant kihifern

Description:

This has become a very rare and endangered fern in a genus endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Originally known from all of the major Hawaiian Islands, now it is only found in Glenwood on the Big Island and in a few small populations on Kauai. According to USFWS, the population has declined rapidly (2009), with over 1200 individuals in the 1990's and now only 51-123 individuals in 2009. In my limited perspective, this species is on the brink of extinction.