Hawaii Potato Fern

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Note young, unopened synangia. This plant was alongside the trail near Sadleria unisora and the elevation was around 1223m/4011ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Note serrate margins, winged costa, and synangia. This plant was on a slope below the trail near the junction with the Alakai Swamp trail at around 1204m/3950ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Note serrate margins and winged costa. This plant was on a slope below the trail near the junction with the Alakai Swamp trail at around 1204m/3950ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Note synangia - fused sporangia. This plant was on a slope below the trail near the junction with the Alakai Swamp trail at around 1204m/3950ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Note serrate margins. This plant was on a slope below the trail near the junction with the Alakai Swamp trail at around 1204m/3950ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Key features include fleshy stipules (unique to native Hawaiian ferns), pulvini at bases of pinnae, and fused sporangia - synangia. This plant was on a slope below the trail near the junction with the Alakai Swamp trail at around 1204m/3950ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and uncommon. Key features include fleshy stipules (unique to native Hawaiian ferns), pulvini at bases of pinnae, and fused sporangia - synangia. This plant was on a slope below the trail near the junction with the Alakai Swamp trail at around 1204m/3950ft.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands. These ferns have become uncommon. The ferns in this photo are likely wild according to the resident naturalist. They are medium to large ferns and can easily be mistaken from a distance for young Cibotium tree ferns. Niaulani is a great 7.4 acres of mature/old growth native forest preserved in the middle of Volcano village near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands. These ferns have become uncommon. Note the pulvini (swollen stipe bases) and the stipules (fleshy appendage paired at both sides of stipe base)

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands. These ferns have become uncommon. Note the pulvini (swollen stipe bases) and the stipules (fleshy appendage paired at both sides of stipe base). these stipules are loaded with starch and were cooked and eaten in times of famine.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands. These ferns have become uncommon. Note the dark brown scales on this lower section of the stipe.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands. These ferns have become uncommon. Note the synangia (group of fused sporangia), which, along with the stipules found at the base of the stipe, only occur in Marattia douglasii out of all the native Hawaiian ferns.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and now uncommon. Note that synangia are linear along the veins and marginal to submarginal.

Endemic to Hawaiian Islands and now uncommon. Note the pulvini (swollen base of pinnae).