Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #28: Clermontia pyrularia

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Clermontia pyrularia

Clermontia pyrularia

  • Hawaiian Name: ‘Oha wai
  • Conservation Status: Endangered
  • Distribution: Hawai’i (Windward Mauna Kea; Leeward Mauna Loa)
  • Date photographed: 8/24/2013
  • Ease of viewing: Cultivation
  • *Identification: Form– Terrestrial trees 3-4 m tall. Leaves– narrowly elliptic rarely oblanceolate; blades 15-28 cm long by 2.5-5 cm wide; margins callose-serrulate; winged petioles 1.5-3.5 cm long. Flower– calyx lobes triangular, 3-5 mm long; corolla white or greenish white, 40-45 mm long
  • Phylogenetic comments: 2 papers have come out recently that show something interesting with the phylogeny of this species. Both Givinish, 2013 and Pender, 2013 have done DNA work on the Clermontia genus. In both papers, they surprisingly find that Clermontia pyrularia nests deeply with the genus Cyanea! It might mean that in the past there was some introgression with a Cyanea spp. or Clermontia as we know it is not monophyletic. 2022 update — The latest genetic work not only backs up that C. pyrularia is a solid member of the purple fruited Cyanea clade, but it or its ancestor was part of a hybridization event that lead to Cyanea leptostegia! I find it interesting because each species is found on opposite ends of the archipelago: C. pyrularia on Hawai’i island and C. leptostegia on Kaua’i.
  • My notes: This was the species that I planted up at Hakalau. I thought it was a neat looking Clermontia; little did I realize what else lay in store.
  • Links: Clermontia pyrularia SGCN (pdf); Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands; Givnish TJ, Bean GJ, Ames M, Lyon SP, Sytsma KJ (2013) Phylogeny, Floral Evolution, and Inter-Island Dispersal in Hawaiian Clermontia (Campanulaceae) Based on ISSR Variation and Plastid Spacer Sequences. PLoS ONE 8(5): e62566. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062566; Pender, Richard “Flora trait evolution and pollination ecology in the Hawaiian lobeliad genus Clermontia (Campanulaceae)” Diss. U. of Hawaii, 2013, print

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

An Afternoon at the National Zoo

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

spectacled bear cubs

Back in September, I took a trip to see the National Zoo in Washington D.C. It was my first time there, so I was quite excited to see their collection. Naturally coming from O’ahu, I wanted to compare it to the Honolulu Zoo back home. The zoo had a number of animals that I was especially keen on seeing.

Continue reading →

Posted in Animals | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Snapshot: O’ahu ‘Elepaio

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Oahu ElepaioI had mentioned earlier this year how one of my favorite sights on O’ahu trails was seeing O’ahu ‘Elepaio (Chasiempis ibidis) on Wiliwilinui Ridge trail. Well today, I hiked the Wiliwilinui Ridge trail again, and wouldn’t you know it, another ‘Elepaio appeared! In a rare O’ahu endemic (Ochrosia compta) no less! We saw it hunting for insects within the leaf axils of the O. compta before the bird flew off. All in all, a wonderful way to spend a few minutes with a native denizen of the O’ahu forest.

Oahu Elepaio

Oahu Elepaio

Posted in Animals | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Reforesting Hakalau: The Back Office

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea shipmanii

For many people, birds are the stars of the Hawaiian forest. Rare creatures with distinct evolutionary history tend to get the lion’s share of people’s attention. There is a reason it’s called charismatic fauna. At Hakalau, thousands upon thousands of visitors from around the world come to see these wonders of nature.

I’ll say now that there is a good amount of people out there that love plants. But there is also a reason that the term charismatic flora isn’t as popular. Akin to a Broadway production, the birds are the scene-stealers and the plants are the scene. The backdrop. That’s the front of the house, what the paying public sees. What is going on behind the scenes, with the reforestation efforts? Let’s unveil the curtain of some of the awesome things going on in the back office…

Continue reading →

Posted in Sharing the planet | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Identifying native plant seedlings

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

It is difficult enough to try and identify the hundreds of different plant species native to Hawai’i. Keying out the different characteristics takes a lot of work and patience. Identifying native seedlings adds more challenges for many of them look different than mature plants. This is especially important in restoration work; many native seedlings can be accidentally pulled up because they aren’t what people expect to see. We’ll try to look at these issues in this post…

Continue reading →

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Birds of Hakalau

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez
Akepa & Creeper

Akepa & Creeper

Finally, I was able to cross off something that I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time. Over the weekend, our regular group of Manoa Cliff volunteers was able to help with the Hakalau National Wildlife refuge on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Hakalau is one of the finest birdwatching spots in the state and it did not disappoint….

Continue reading →

Posted in Animals | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #27: Cyanea lanceolata

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea lanceolata

Cyanea lanceolata

  • Hawaiian Name: Haha
  • Conservation Status: Endangered
  • Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau mountains)
  • Date photographed: 7/20/2013
  • Ease of viewing: Difficult
  • *Identification: Form– Stems woody, muricate in juveniles Leaves– elliptic to oblanceolate, blades 15-60 cm long, 5.5-14 cm wide Flower– calyx lobes triangular, 1-3 mm long; corolla glabrous, pale to dark magenta
  • Phylogenetic comments: Formerly part of Rollandia, subspecies lanceolata was elevated to full species status. Where there was once Rollandia lanceolata, now there is Cyanea lanceolata and Cyanea calycina.
  • My notes: Another of the Cyanea spp. on O’ahu that I’ve only recently seen for the first time in the wild. I was very excited to see this particular species because Cyanea lanceolata is the first of the muricate lobeliads I’ve encountered. Thorns and prickles may have evolved in Cyanea in response to browsing pressure from giant flightless ducks (Givnish, 1994). In the picture above, I can almost see the O’ahu Moa Nalo attempting to feed from the plant and moving off in frustration.
  • Links: Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Cyanea
  • Refs: Givnish, T. J., Sytsma, K. J., Smith, J. F., & Hahn, W. J. (1994). Thorn-like prickles and heterophylly in Cyanea: adaptations to extinct avian browsers on Hawaii?. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 91(7), 2810-2814.
  • Additional Pics:

Cyanea lanceolata prickles

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

Posted in Botany | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #26: Cyanea acuminata

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea acuminata

Cyanea acuminata

  • Hawaiian Name: Haha
  • Conservation Status: Endangered
  • Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau mountains)
  • Date photographed: 6/22/2013
  • Ease of viewing: Difficult
  • *Identification: Form– Shrub, 0.3-2 m tall Leaves– oblanceolate to narrowly obovate or elliptic, blades 11-32 cm long, 3-9 cm wide, base attenuate to cunate. Flower– calyx lobes narrowly triangular, 2-5 mm long; corolla white, 30-35 mm long, 3-4 mm wide.
  • My notes: I was given some general directions on finding this particular guy, so I was pretty please when I actually found the plant. I’ve seen Cyanea acuminata only once before at the Poamoho summit and it looked quite different. It had fat leaves and was very prostrate. In this sheltered gulch, this C. acuminata was about 2 feet tall.
  • Links: Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Cyanea
  • Additional Pics:

Cyanea acuminataCyanea acuminata

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Snapshot: More Cyanea crispa flowers

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea crispa flowersWe’ve been monitoring the health of a specimen of Cyanea crispa, an awesome lobeliad found in the dark understorey of Ko’olau forests. A few months back, a rotten ‘ohia branch crashed down mere feet away from this plant. It survived that close call and is now in full flower! Let’s hope it loves the word cleistogamy.

Cyanea crispa flowerscyanea crispa flowers

 

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #25: Delissea kauaiensis

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Delissea kauaiensis

Delissea kauaiensis (cultivated)

  • Conservation Status: Endangered
  • Distribution: Kaua’i
  • Date photographed: 6/26/2013
  • Ease of viewing: Cultivated
  • *Identification: Form– Treelet or tree (rarely sparingly branched), 1.2-4.5 m tall. Leaves– 5.7-19.0 cm long, 2-11 cm wide, ovate or lanceolate, margin coarsely biserrate or crenate. Flower– Calyx lobes 0.5-2.0 mm long, 0.3-0.7 mm wide; Corolla 16-30 mm long
  • Phylogenetic comments: The Delissea undulata complex was split up into 4 different species (Lammers, 2005). Only the species from Kaua’i and Big Island are currently known to be extant. These 4 species form the now reduced sect. Delissea. 2022 update — Previously thought to be closely related to the Big Island D. argutidentata, current genetic works shows that D. kauaiensis nests with its island sympatric relative D. rhytiosperma.
  • My notes: Until I read the recent Delissea monograph, I was unsure of the differences between the 2 Kaua’i species. Delissea kauaiensis differs from D. rhytidosperma by a number of morphological features. D. kauaiensis has leaves in short internodes; the leaves form a dense apical rosette. In D. rhytidosperma the leaves are more widely spaced on the stem. D. kauaiensis rarely branches unlike D. rhytidosperma. Also, the flowers on D. kauaiensis typically have 3 knobs on the corolla, D. rhytidosperma only has one.
  • Links:  Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Delissea
  • Refs: Lammers, T. G. (2005). Revision of Delissea (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae).Systematic Botany Monographs, 1-75.

*From Lammers Revision of Delissea

Posted in Botany | Tagged , | Leave a comment