Cyanea shipmanii

• Hawaiian name: Haha
• Conservation status: Endangered
• Distribution: Windward slopes of Mauna Kea
• Date photographed: 8/24/13
• *Identification: : Form– Shrubs 2.5-4 m tall, stems unbranched or sparingly branched. Leaves– pinnately divided, cut 3/4-7/8 the distance to the midrib, blades 17-30 cm long, 7-14 cm wide. Flower– calyx lobes oblong, 3-6 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, corolla pale greenish white, 30-36 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, the tube gently curved.
• Phylogenetic comments: 2022 update — C. shipmanii is nested with the orange-fruited glabra clade; those species have a distribution in the younger islands of Maui Nui and Hawai`i.
• My notes: This was one of the star taxa we saw when we went to Hakalau about 10 years ago now. While sort of similar looking to the O’ahu Cyanea grimesiana, C. shipmanii leaves have finer divisions. The peduncles also seem shorter and stiffer giving the flowers and fruits a more congested appearance along the stem. I remember being a tad jealous of this species as it, like other Big Island lobeliads, has a credible chance to be pollinated and dispersed by native birds. Something that is still a stretch of the imagination here on O’ahu.

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i