Haha

Cyanea dunbarii

Description

Cyanea dunbarii, a member of the bellflower family (Campanulaceae), is a branched shrub 4.9-6.6 ft (1.5-2.0 m) tall. The oval to broadly elliptic leaves are 3.9-8.7 in (9.9-22.1 cm) long and 2.4-5.5 in (6.1-14.0 cm) wide, with irregularly lobed or cleft margins. The flowers are arranged in groupings of six to eight on a stalk that is 1.2-2.8 in (3.1-7.1 cm) long. The white corolla, tinged or striped with pale lilac, is 1.2-1.5 in (3.1-3.8 cm) long. The corolla is slightly curved, with spreading lobes three-fourths as long as the tube. This species is distinguished from others in this endemic Hawaiian genus by the lack of prickles on the stems and the irregularly lobed and cleft leaf margins.

C. dunbarii was observed in flower, with immature fruit, in September.

Habitat

C. dunbarii is found along a stream in mesic to wet Dicranopteris linearis (uluhe)—Metrosideros polymorpha ('ohi'a) forest on moderate to steep slopes. Associated species include Perrottetia sandwicensis (olomea), Pipturus albidus (mamaki), Clermontia kakeana (haha), Cheirodendron trigynum ('olapa), and Freycinetia arborea ('ie'ie).

Distribution

C. dunbarii was collected in 1918 at Waihanau Valley and Waialae and was not observed again until 1992 at which time it was found in Mokomoko Gulch. This population had approximately 35-40 mature plants in 1998, 15-20 of which occurred in the Mokomoko streambed and the remaining 20 of which occurred in the next small gulch to the north. All individuals grow at an elevation of 2,250 ft (686 m) on state-owned land within Molokai Forest Reserve.

Threats

The major threat to C. dunbarii is competition with the alien plants thimbleberry, Commelina diffusa, ginger, and air plant. An almost equally pressing threat to this small remaining population is the risk of sudden extinction from natural events like flooding and landslides or slower extinction through reduced reproductive vigor. Rats are a potential threat since they are known to be in the area and eat stems and fruits of other species of Cyanea. Axis deer and pigs are potential threats to this species, since they are known to occur in areas adjacent to the only known population. Axis deer, observed in areas south of the only known population of C. dunbarii, now pose a potential threat to this species. If not controlled, habitat degradation by pigs may also become a significant problem to this population. Slugs feed preferentially on plants with fleshy leaves, stems, and fruits, and they are a primary threat to C. glabra and C. kunthiana.

Collection of even a few whole C. dunbarii plants or their reproductive parts could threaten the survival of this species because of its small numbers in one population. Some of the individuals are close to trails or roads and are therefore easily accessible to collectors.

Conservation and Recovery

Cuttings of this species have been collected and propagated by the Lyon Arboretum and the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

Contacts

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Regional Office, Division of Endangered Species
Eastside Federal Complex
911 N. E. 11th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
Telephone: (503) 231-6121
http://pacific.fws.gov/

Senior Resident Agent Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 7-235
P.O. Box 50223
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850-5000
Telephone: (808) 541-2681
Fax: (808) 541-3062

Reference

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. "Molokai II: Addendum to the Recovery Plan for the Molokai Plant Cluster." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland.