Lobelia oahuensis

• Conservation status: Endangered
• Distribution: Ko`olau Mountains, O`ahu
• Date photographed: 10/2/24
• Identification: : Form– Stems woody, erect, 10-30 dm long, with a dense apical rosette of leaves. Leaves– elliptic, 40-60 cm long, 4-6 cm wide, upper surface glabrous, lower surface densely grayish or greenish hirsute. Flower– calyx lobes linear, acute, 12-88 mm long, 2-3 mm wide; corolla pale blue, 42-45 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, pubescent or glabrous, the lobes spirally revolute.
• Phylogenetic comments: 2022 update — L. oahuensis is sister to the L.grayana- L. dunbariae clade.
• My notes: I actually saw this species about 15 years ago now on a summit hike but couldn’t get a good photo at the time. If I recall it might have been the very same hike I took a picture of the very first lobeliad in this series: T. singularis. Anyway, this species not very common and the PEPP program has done a lot of work to help with the preservation of these beautiful endemics of O`ahu. This is the first time that I myself have seen this in flower which helps me differentiate this between L. hypoleauca.
• Additional Photos: