WHAT IS HAWAIIAN FERNWOOD 
Fernwood has become through common 
use the descriptive trade term for a product 
first. introduced under the Hawaiian native 
name of hapu. The product resembles wood 
only that it is manufactured from the trunk 
of a plant resembling a tree and manufactur- 
ing machines used are those commonly used 
for wood products. 
The plant used for manufacturing fernwood 
is a member of the Cibotium genus of ferns. 
There are three species of the Cibotiums na- 
tive to the island of Hawaii, all three of which 
are used in manufacturing the various pro- 
ducts. The Cibotium treeferns of Hawaii are 
found growing primarily in the rain forest 
areas on the high slopes of Mauna Loa and 
Mauna Kea. 
Specimens of treeferns 4 feet in diameter 
and 40 feet tall are not uncommon. The trunks 
of these giants are composed of a fiberous 
aerial root system surrounding a starchy core 
center. It is from this fiberous root mass that 
the various fernwood products are manufac- 
tured. Cross sections of the trunks are used 
in manufacturing attractive jardinieres, and 
slabs from the trunks are used for manufactur- 
ing totem poles, slabs, and trays. Sections of 
the complete trunk brushed free of adhering 
moss and dirt are used in manufacturing the 
display and planter trunks. 
The areas where the treefern grows natur- 
ally has a high annual rate of rainfall. How- 
ever, there are periods of dry weather and 
as a result, this water loving plant in order 
to survive has to be provided by nature with 
great water holding capacity; this is supplied 
by a group of fine root hairs amongst the 
coarser fibers. This characteristic gives to 
treefern products a high water holding ability 
essential to plant growth, and also explains 
the relative lightness of the dry products as 
they are shipped from the factory. 
The treefern fiber is tough and very resist- 
ant to decay. Natural walks composed of sec- 
tions of fern trunks laid in the forest 40 years 
ago are still useable today. The fresh fern 
fiber is mildly acid, having approximately a 
Ph of 5.5. It is therefore well suited as a 
growth medium for those plants preferring a 
mild acid medium. Due to its long lasting 
characteristic the material sold as fiber is an 
