Cyanea recta

Cyanea recta is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common names upright cyanea and Kealia cyanea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai.[1] It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States. Like other Cyanea it is known as haha in Hawaiian.[2]

Cyanea recta

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

A 1998 survey estimated up to 1500 individuals remaining in seven populations. These are in a few locations on Kauai, including the Makaleha Mountains. By 2008 one population apparently contained "several thousand" plants.[3]

This Hawaiian lobelioid is a shrub growing up to 1.5 meters tall. The inflorescence bears purple-striped white or solid purple flowers.[1] It grows in wet forest habitat in the understory of ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha).[3]

The habitat is threatened with degradation and destruction by a number of forces, especially feral pigs and exotic plant species such as fireweed and Koster's curse (Clidemia hirta).[3]

References
  1. USFWS. Cyanea recta. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. USFWS Species Profile: Listed Plants
  3. USFWS. Cyanea recta Five-year Review. August 2010.
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