Cyanea grimesiana

Cyanea grimesiana
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Campanulaceae
Genus:	Cyanea
Species:	C. grimesiana
Binomial name
Cyanea grimesiana Gaudich.

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]

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 is found on Oahu and Molokai, 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. ^ ^{a b c} 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. Retrieved on 25 February 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b} ssp. obatae. Center for Plant Conservation.

External links

• USDA Plants Profile