Plant Profile
Elaphoglossum aemulum
Laukahi nunui, ʻOpeha, ʻĒkaha
Main Plant Information
Genus
Elaphoglossum
Species
aemulum
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Laukahi nunui
- ʻOpeha
- ʻĒkaha
Hawaiian Names
- Ekaha
- Laukahi nunui
- Opeha
Common Names
- Creeping tonguefern
Synonyms
- Aconiopteris gorgoneum
- Acrostichum aemulum
- Acrostichum gorgoneum
- Acrostichum helleri
- Elaphoglossum gorgoneum
- Elaphoglossum helleri
- Olfersia aemula
- Olfersia gorgonea
Plant Characteristics
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Non-Woody, Spreading
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Herbaceous, Medium, 1-3
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Container
Source of Fragrance
- No Fragrance
Plant Produces Flowers
No
Leaf Characteristics
Plant texture
- Medium
Leaf Colors
- Medium Green
Pests and Diseases
Growth Requirements
Fertilizer
Pruning Information
Water Requirements
- Moist
- Wet
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Partial sun
- Shade
Soils
- Cinder
- Organic
Limitations
Environmental Information
Natural Range
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- 150 to 1000, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 1000 to 1999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 2000 to 2999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 3000 to 3999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 4000 to 4999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
Habitat
- Epiphyte
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
ʻOpeha is usually found as an epiphyte, occasionally as a terrestrial. These ferns are common in moist forests about 980 to 4600 feet on all main islands except Niʻihau, Kahoʻolawe, and on Hawaiʻi Island–where it was collected only once around 1840 and is now considered extinct there.
On Oʻahu it is found in both the Waiʻanae and Koʻolau mountains, on East Molokaʻi, and on West and East Maui.
Special Features and Information
General Information
With some 600 species worldwide, Elaphoglossum belong to the Dryopteridaceae or Wood Fern family.
The Hawaiian Islands are home to eight endemic and one indigenous species.
Etymology
The generic name Elaphoglossum is from the Latin elaphos , deer, stag, hart, and glossa , tongue, in reference to the shape of the frond.
The specific epithet aemulus means rivaling, vying with, or equaling.
Hawaiian Names:
ʻĒkaha is the Hawaiian name given to the eight endemic species of Elaphoglossum . ** But it is also the name for the native Bird’s-nest fern ( Asplenium nidus ), as well as a type of moss growing on rotted trees, also called limu ʻēkaha .
Laukahi nunui means large laukahi , a name given only to this species of Elaphoglossum. The name is also used for the Broad-leafed plantain ( Plantago major ), a Eurasian weed.
ʻOpeha is a name given only to this fern.
Background Information
Elaphoglossum aemulus may be recognized by its thick, dense mat of long, curly rhizome scales, and free veins. Plants growing on tree trunks often produce a characteristic wide shelf composed of rhizome scales, rhizomes, and organic debris.