Hypolepis hawaiiensis var. mauiensis is a fern in the Dennstaedtiaceae (bracken) family. Fronds are 6 to 25 cm (2.4 to 9.8 in) long. Rhizomes are slender, long-creeping, and 1 to 3 mm (0.04 to 0.1 in) in diameter. The stipes (stalks), rachises (frond midrib), and costae (prominant rib or vein) are well covered with chainlike, sharp-tipped, and tan hairs. The blades, which are the extended part of the frond above the stipe, are divided 1-pinnate-pinnatifid to 3-pinnate.