Cyanea pinnatifida

• Conservation status: Endangered
• Distribution: Central Wai`anae Mtns
• Date photographed: 12/26/24
• Identification: : Form– Shrubs 0.8-3 m tall; stems unbranched or sparingly branched Leaves– pinnately parted, cut 1/2-1/4 the distance to midrib, blades 25-60 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide (between the segments), 8-25 cm wide (across the segments) Flower– hypanthium obconical, 10-12 mm long, 6-8 mm wide calyx lobes triangular, 3-5 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide; corolla greenish white, 36-50 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, sparsely pubescent
• Phylogenetic comments: 2022 update — There is evidence that Cyanea pinnatifida is one of several O`ahu Cyanea spp of hybrid origin between the Grimesiana clade and the Rollandia clade.
• My notes: 44th lobeliad in the series just in time for my 44th birthday. Yes, I’m slow at uploading :p Cyanea pinnatifida has quite the remarkable tale to me. For many years, only one wild individual was known, growing near the bottom of a gulch. What I thought was remarkable was that it seem to have a very specific extinction factor: Just above the plant was a large boulder which threatened to crush it. This boulder was being held up by a decaying tree. If anything captured the plight of Hawaiian flora, this was it. Luckily, folks from various institution were able to do micro-prop from this individual and hundreds of plants have been outplanted in protected habitat.
• Additional Photos: