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Hillebrand's brake fern (Apparently no known Hawaiian name)[syn. Pteris cretica var. decurrens, Pteris irregularis var. linearis]Dennstaedtiaceae (Bracken family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (all the main islands except Niihau and Kahoolawe)UncommonOahu (Cultivated); Spores originally collected from the Waianae Mts., OahuHabitwww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/24676825045/in/photostream/D. Palmer (2003) notes that this is a "probable pentaploid hybrid of Pteris cretica and P. irregularis." This species certainly has some of the most unusual foliar features of the native Hawaiian Pteris spp. Pteris cretica is an indigenous species and known by the Hawaiian name ali. Pteris irregularis is an endemic species known by it's Hawaiian names as Mna, hewa (on Oahu), or Iwa puakea (on Maui).EtymologyThe generic name Pteris is from the Greek pteris, fern, from pteron, wing, feather, in reference to the frond shape. An ancient name for ferns in general.The specific epithet hillebrandii is named in for William Hillebrand (1821-1886), a young Prussian physician and plant collector. He planted many of the plants he collected at Queen's Hospital and on his own property in Nuuanu. After moving back to Germany the property was sold to his neighbors Thomas & Mary Foster. Today, it is known as the Foster Botanical Gardens, located in Honolulu.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Pteris_hillebrandii