Melanthera kamolensis

Melanthera kamolensis
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Tribe:	Heliantheae
Genus:	Melanthera
Species:	M. kamolensis
Binomial name
Melanthera kamolensis (O. Deg.) & Sherff) W.L. Wagner & H. Rob.

Melanthera kamolensis (formerly Lipochaeta kamolensis)^[1] is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Maui nehe. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Maui.^[2] It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

This perennial herb produces daisylike yellow flower heads.^[2] It grows on slopes and gulches in a small stretch of shrubland on the southern side of East Maui. There is one population located in Kamole Gulch,^[1] the type locality.^[2] In 2005 this population contained only 25 mature plants. Nearby there is another population which appears to be a hybrid swarm of plants descended from M. kamolensis and M. rockii crosses.^[1]

The main threat to the species is the loss and degradation of its habitat caused by ungulates, non-native plants, and fires.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} USFWS. Melanthera kamolensis Five-year Review. July 2009.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Lipochaeta kamolensis. The Nature Conservancy.

External links

• USDA Plants Profile