Cheilanthes decora (Brack.) R. M. Tryon & A. F. Tryon; Doryopteris tryonii 0. Deg. & I. Deg.; Lito-brachia decora (Brack.) T. Moore; Pteris decora (Brack.) Hook.

Endemic

Latin decorus, beautiful.

Plants small to medium-sized. Rhizomes decumbent, short, retaining old stipes. Fronds up to 30 cm long. Stipes densely clustered, round, not or minimally winged, up to 1.3 mm diam., dark brown to purple, lustrous, naked. Blades 1-pinnate-pinnatisect to 2-pinnate-pinnatisect, roughly triangular, 5-15 x 7.5-13 cm, chartaceous, glabrous, with 2-4 pairs of pinnae or segments before reaching pinnatifid blade apexes; rachises between first and second pinna pairs only slightly longer than between second and third pairs, not winged or winged only near second pinna pair. Pinnae very short-stalked to sessile, opposite, spreading out from plane of blade, giving a 3-dimensional appearance (best seen in living material). Ultimate segments parallel-sided, narrow, linear, mostly 2-3 mm wide, often forming a 3-dimensional cluster.

Found in dry shrublands, grasslands, and forest areas, often growing out of exposed basalt, 120-700 m, all major islands and Kaho'olawe.

Doryopteris decora may be recognized by its narrow pinnae and ultimate segments that spread out of the plane of the blade to give a 3-dimensional appearance; rachises between the first and second pinna pairs winged only near the second pinna pair. It also differs from D. decipiens in having ultimate segments parallel-sided and only 1-3 mm wide.