Hapu'u i 'i, Hapu 'u pulu, Hawaiian tree fern, Chamisso's manfern
Cibotium chamissoi

Family: Dicksoniaceae

What it is like

A tree fern. It has an erect trunk. It can be 5 m high and 12 cm across the trunk. The fronds often remain making a skirt of dead fronds around the trunk. The fronds are smooth and dull green and can be divided 2 or 3 times. The fronds are 3.5 m long. There are woolly golden hairs at the base of the frond stalk.

There are 10-15 Cibotium species. They occur in the Pacific.

Where it is found

It is a tropical fern. It grows in moist rainforest in Hawaii from 300 -1800 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Hawaii, Pacific

How it is used for food

The starch in the trunk is pounded free from the fibres.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Stem - starch

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Cibotium splendens (Gaudichaud-Beaupre) Krajina; Cibotium hawaiense Nakai & Ogura;