Delissea waianaeensis
- Conservation Status: Endangered
- Distribution: O’ahu (Wai’anae range)
- Date photographed: 2/26/2011
- Ease of viewing: Difficult
- *Identification: Form– Branched or unbranched shrubs 1-3 m tall. Leaves– ovate to ovate-lanceolate; blades 12-30 cm long by 6-17 cm wide; margins crenate, denticulate, serrate, or doubly serrate; petioles 6-18 cm long. Flower– hypanthium ovoid to cylindrical; calyx lobes subulate, 0.5-1 mm long; corolla white or greenish white, curved, 45-60 mm long with 1 dorsal knob
- Phylogenetic comments: While more similar to Cyanea morphologically, studies have shown that Delissea actually seem more closely related to the succulent Brighamia species. D. waianaeensis was recently split from D. subcordata
- Links: Delissea subcordata SGCN (pdf), Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Delissea, US Fish and Wildlife Delissea subcordata 5-year review (pdf), Origin, adaptive radiation and diversification of the Hawaiian Lobeliads (Asterales: Campanulaceae) Givnish, Thomas J., et al. Proc. R. Soc. B. 7 Feb. 2009 vol. 276 no. 1656 407-416
- Additional Photos:
*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i
Studia Mirabilium 
Thanks for the info. We’ll likely never see these plants, but it’s nice to hear about them. The Delissea being more closely related to Brighamia than Cyanea is pretty interesting.
Anytime… I’ve been meaning to get out to Maui to check out the flora there. I’d really love to try and find Cyanea copelandii.
I’ll add the link to the 2008 lobeliad paper by Givnish et al. Aside from showing that the Hawaiian Lobeliads are highly likely to be monophyletic, the data strongly supports 4 subclades: Clermontia-Cyanea, Brighamia-Delissea, Lobelia sect. Galeatella-Trematolobelia, Lobelia sect. Revolutella. Fascinating stuff!