Hawaiian Lobeliads
“Unquestionably the crowning glory of our flora are the arborescent lobelias.” Vaughan MacCoughey -Botanical Gazette, 1917
A group of monophyletic plants within the Bellflower family (Campanulaceae) that are thought to have arrived in the Hawaiian chain roughly 13 million years ago. Many are orthophilous with a few exceptions. They are among the largest radiation of oceanic island plants derived from a single ancestor.
*I am currently (2022) updating the phylogeny following the great work of Lammers, Givnish, and Hunter. While no consensus yet, I’ll keep updating and revising as new information comes along.
| Genus Lobelia sect. Galeatella | ||
| #23 | ![]() |
Lobelia gaudichaudii |
| Genus Trematolobelia | ||
| #37 | ![]() |
Trematolobelia kaalae |
| #9 | ![]() |
Trematolobelia kauaiensis |
| #35 | ![]() |
Trematolobelia macrostachys |
| #1 | ![]() |
Trematolobelia singularis |
| Genus Brighamia | ||
| #15 | ![]() |
Brighamia insignis |
| #45 | ![]() |
Brighamia rockii |
| Genus Delissea | ||
| #25 | ![]() |
Delissea kauaiensis |
| #24 | ![]() |
Delissea rhytidosperma |
| #11 | ![]() |
Delissea waianaeensis |
| Genus Lobelia sect. Revolutella | ||
| #39 | ![]() |
Lobelia hypoleuca |
| #7 | ![]() |
Lobelia monostachya |
| #16 | ![]() |
Lobelia niihauensis |
| #43 | ![]() |
Lobelia oahuensis |
| #38 | ![]() |
Lobelia yuccoides |
| Genus Cyanea sect. Purple Fruited Clade | ||
| #6 | ![]() |
Cyanea angustifolia |
| #31 | ![]() |
Cyanea asarifolia |
| #42 | ![]() |
Cyanea coriacea |
| #32 | ![]() |
Cyanea hardyi |
| #2 | ![]() |
Cyanea leptostegia |
| #36 | ![]() |
Cyanea membrenacea |
| #28 | ![]() |
Clermontia pyrularia |
| #14 | ![]() |
Cyanea superba |
| Genus Clermontia | ||
| #10 | ![]() |
Clermontia faurei |
| #22 | ![]() |
Clermontia hawaiiensis |
| #4 | ![]() |
Clermontia kakeana |
| #30 | ![]() |
Clermontia lindseyana |
| #8 | ![]() |
Clermontia oblongifolia |
| #21 | ![]() |
Clermontia parviflora |
| #19 | ![]() |
Clermontia persicifolia |
| Genus Cyanea sect. Orange Fruited Clade | ||
| #26 | ![]() |
Cyanea acuminata |
| #33 | ![]() |
Cyanea calycina |
| #5 | ![]() |
Cyanea crispa |
| #29 | ![]() |
Cyanea grimesiana grimesiana |
| #12 | ![]() |
Cyanea hirtella |
| #18 | ![]() |
Cyanea humboldtiana |
| #41 | ![]() |
Cyanea kauaulaensis |
| #34 | ![]() |
Cyanea konahuanuiensis |
| #3 | ![]() |
Cyanea koolauensis |
| #27 | ![]() |
Cyanea lanceolata |
| #44 | ![]() |
Cyanea pinnatifida |
| #40 | ![]() |
Cyanea shipmanii |
| #13 | ![]() |
Cyanea truncata |
| Incertae sedis | ||
| #20 | |
Cyanea arborea |
| #17 | Cyanea pohaku | |











































Hi Sebastian. What a great web site, and a wonderful array of information (and a lot of work). I led a Sierra Club group on Manoa Cliff on Sunday, and saw you briefly at the trailhead. I did not want to bother you guys and bring my group of 11 down to your site. Maybe I should have.