Clermontia hawaiiensis

• Hawaiian Name: Oha kepau, Oha wai nui
• Conservation Status: Vulnerable
• Distribution: Hawaii (Puna & Kau District)
• Date photographed: May 28, 2012
• *Identification: Form– Shrubs 1.5-9 m tall Leaves– oblong to oblanceolate; blades 9-24 cm long by 2.5-6.5 cm wide; margins callose-crenulate; petioles 2-7 cm long. Flower– hypanthium obconical, 17-22 mm long, 11-18 mm wide, prominently 10-ridged; perinath greenish-white, 50-65 mm long, 9-18 mm wide
• My notes: Something that I missed the first time I went to Kipuka Puaulu, several C. hawaiiensis have been outplanted along the trail. They weren’t looking the healthiest, and judging from the commentary on flickr, these plants haven’t been looking the best for a little while.
• Links: Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Clermontia, Flickr -Clermontia hawaiiensis
• Additional Photos:

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i