Psilotum complanatum
Genus
Psilotum
Species
complanatum
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Moa
- Moa nahele
- Pipi
Hawaiian Names
- Moa
- Moa nahele
- Pipi
Common Names
- Flat-stemmed whiskfern
Distribution Status
Indigenous
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Non-Woody, Spreading
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Fern/Fern-like, Short, Less than 1
- Fern/Fern-like, Medium, 1 to 3
Mature Size, Width
From 1 to 2 feet.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Container
- Hanging Basket
Additional Landscape Use Information
Moa nahele graceful in appearance with downward flowing leaves but is less commonly seen in urban landscapes than its cousin.
Plant Produces Flowers
No
Plant texture
- Fine
- Medium
Additional Plant Texture Information
The stems of the two Psilotum species have characteristic features:
- Moa* or Upright whiskfern (P. nudum) are upright plants with triangle-shaped stems.
- Moa nahele* or Flat-stemmed whiskfern (P. complanatum) are plants that droop downward with flat, pancake-like stems.
It's all in the common name!
* Both species are called Moa or Moa nahele, as well as pipi, in the Hawaiian language. To distinguish between the two species in the text, this website has chosen to use Moa for Psilotum nudum and Moa nahele for Psilotum complanatum.
Leaf Colors
- Dark Green
- Medium Green
Additional Leaf Color Information
Moa nahele do not produce flowers. But the distinctive yellow, sometimes bright yellow, sporangia (spore cases) are noticeable on the upper stems especially on the green plants.
Additional Pest & Disease Information
The few specimens seen in cultivation appear to have no issues with pests. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Fertilizer
Light fertizing with organic fertilizers, such as fish and/or kelp emulsion, seems satisfactory for moa nahele. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Pruning Information
Dead stems can be removed for a cleaner appearance.
Water Requirements
- Moist
- Wet
Additional Water Information
Moa nahele does well with constant moisture in a pot, but prefer from moist to wet conditions when growing on hāpuʻu (Cibotium spp.) [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Partial sun
Soils
- Cinder
- Organic
Limitations
Moa nahele do not appear to be as tolerant to dier or full sun conditions as moa (P. nudum). [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Special Growing Needs
Does well in standards pots or hanging baskets with 3 parts hāpuʻu potting media to 1 part cinder. But perform best when grown as an epiphyte on hāpuʻu trunks or logs. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Natural Range
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
No data available.
Habitat
- Epiphyte
- Lithophyte
Additional Habitat Information
Moa nahele is found mostly as an epiphtye in mesic to wet forests from 820 to over 3600 feet.
Special Features and Information
General Information
Psilotum belong to the Whisk-fern family (Psilotaceae) with only two wide spread species: Psilotum complanatum and P. nudus. Both species are indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands.
Etymology
The generic name is from the Greek psilos, naked or smooth, alluding to the smooth aerial stems without leaves.
The specific epithet complanatum is from the Latin complanatus, flattened, in reference to flattened stems of this species.
Hawaiian Names:
Moa nahele literally means "forest chicken." Moa is chicken, referring to a chickens' comb, and reference to the fronds.
Nahele means forest.
Background Information
The two native indigenous species of moa (Psilotum spp.) can hybridize when found together. In the Hawaiian Islands, the hybrid is an infrequent to locally common plant found in mesic to wet forests, from 1640 to about 2790 feet, on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu (particularly in the Waiʻanae Mountains), Lānaʻi, and Maui and is referred to as Psilotum x intermedium.
Moa nahele is less common in the Hawaiian islands than moa, but still easily seen and locally common in their habitat.
The stems of the two Psilotum species have characteristic features:
- Moa* or Upright whiskfern (P. nudum) are upright plants with triangle-shaped stems. This can been seen when stems are cut horizonally and thus showing a triangular shape.
- Moa nahele* or Flat-stemmed whiskfern (P. complanatum) are plants that droop downward with flat, pancake-like stems, when cut horizonally.
Early Hawaiian Use
Games & Sports:
Early Hawaiian children would play a simple game of moa nahele (lit., chicken vegetation). Plants in Hawaiian Culture explains how this game was played: “Two children sat or stood facing one another, each holding a branched stem of moa. These they interlocked and then slowly pulled apart until the branches of one broke. The other child, without broken branches, was the winner and announced his victory by crowing like a rooster (moa).” [1] One of the names ʻoʻō moa in fact means "cock's crow."
Lei:
Moa was also used in lei making by early Hawaiians. [1]
Medicinal:
Moa (Psilotum spp.) was used for kūkae paʻa (constipation) in newborn babies and elderly men and women. It was also mixed with other plants to treat akepau (tuberculosis, consumption), and various respiratory conditions. [2] Additionally, extracts from moa were used as laxatives. The spores were used for diarrhea in infants and used like talcum powder to prevent chafing from loincloths. [3]
Additional References
[1] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, pages 77, 88, 325.
[2] "Native Hawaiian Medicine--Volume III" by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, pages 74, 75.
[3] "Ferns of Hawaiʻi" by Kathy Valier, page 4.
Back to Plant List
This record is as complete as we can generate for this plant profile at this point. Please email nativeplantshawaii@gmail.com if you wish to contribute to the data. Please include sources and references for all data submitted