Cyanea grimesiana

Cyanea grimesiana is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name splitleaf cyanea. It is native to Oahu and Molokai, where it is known from 12 occurrences.[1] It is a federally listed endangered species. Like other Cyanea it is known as haha in Hawaiian.[2]

Cyanea grimesiana

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Campanulaceae
Genus: Cyanea
Species:
C. grimesiana
Binomial name
Cyanea grimesiana

This is generally considered a species complex made up of at least three subtaxa. One, var. cylindrocalyx (sometimes treated as a separate species called C. cylindrocalyx), is thought to be extinct.[3] The other two are divided into twelve occurrences on two islands, for a total of fewer than 50 plants.[1] The ssp. grimesiana was formerly found on Oahu and Molokai, but has not been observed on Molokai since 1991, while ssp. obatae is limited to the Waianae Mountains of Oahu.[1] The latter subspecies may only be composed of five individual plants today, and all are located on private, unprotected land.[4]

This Hawaiian lobelioid is a shrub which can exceed three meters in height. The stem and herbage are prickly. The tubular flowers are up to 8 centimeters long and may be purple, green, or yellow with reddish stripes. The fruit is an orange berry.[4]

References
  1. Cyanea grimesiana. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. Hawaiian Native Plant Genera: Cyanea
  3. Bruegmann, M. M. & V. Caraway. (2003). Cyanea cylindrocalyx. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2010. www.iucnredlist.org Archived June 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 25 February 2011.
  4. ssp. obatae. Archived 2010-12-15 at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
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