- Clermontia peleana
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Clermontia peleana Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Campanulaceae Genus: Clermontia Species: C. peleana Binomial name Clermontia peleana
RockClermontia peleana is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Pele clermontia. It is one of several Hawaiian lobelioids in genus Clermontia that are known as `oha wai. This plant is endemic to the island of Hawaii, where it is known from a few individuals.[1] It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
There are two subspecies. When the plant was placed on the endangered species list, only ssp. peleana was believed extant, and it was known from eight remaining wild plants. The last of the eight died in the year 2000, and the species was then only known from one cultivated plant. Breeding efforts produced a number of seedlings that were transplanted into the species' native habitat, and by 2007, one of them was flowering.[1]
The other subspecies, ssp. singuliflora, was last seen on Hawaii in 1909 and Maui in 1920.[2] It was declared extinct.[3] In the summer of 2010 several actively reproducing specimens were discovered in the forests of the Hawaiian volcano Kohala, a place it had never been seen before. Seeds were collected and propagation efforts will be made.[2][4]
References
- ^ a b USFWS. Clermontia peleana Five-year Review. January 18, 2008.
- ^ a b Native Hawaiian plant rediscovered on Big Island. The Nature Conservancy. August 31, 2010.
- ^ Bruegmann, M. M. & V. Caraway. (2003). Clermontia peleana ssp. singuliflora. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2010. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 13 February 2011.
- ^ Hawaii plant thought to be extinct found in Kohala. Associated Press September 2, 2010.
External links
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