Synonym: Trichomanes proliferum Blume

Indigenous

Greek prolifer, fruitful, productive, referring to the proliferous tendency of this species.

Rhizomes long-creeping, filamentous, less than 0.2 mm diam. Stipes with fine black hairs. Fronds scattered, 2-6 cm long, often proliferous on upper stipes to upper rachises. Blades unevenly 1-pinnate to 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, linear to long-triangular, margins oflobes entire, glabrous. Pinnae 0.7-1.2 mm wide.

Rare, often mixed with and appearing like moss on tree trunks or rocks in wet forests, usually at elevations about 1,280 m, on Maui (Waikamoi, Kipahulu, and Hanawi) and Hawai 'i ('Ola 'a). Its distribution and eleva-tion range are poorly known because of lack of recognition and collections. It apparently occurs at much higher elevations than Gonocormus minutus.

Gonocormus prolifer is part of a difficult taxonomic group found from Korea, Man-churia, Japan, China, Malaysia to Java, and depending on species definition it may have a wider distribution.

Gonocormus prolifer resembles G. minutus but is longer, more triangular, and usually proliferous.