A brief look at Hawaiian Rutaceae

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Major components of varied Hawaiian plant communities are the native members of the citrus family (Rutaceae). No tasty oranges here though. But the good thing, at least on O’ahu, is that they are an almost guaranteed sighting on most summit hikes. There are 3 main branches native to Hawai’i: Zanthoxylum, Melicope, and Platydesma.

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #11: Delissea waianaeensis

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Delissea waianaeensis

  • Conservation Status: Endangered
  • Distribution: O’ahu (Wai’anae range)
  • Date photographed: 2/26/2011
  • Ease of viewing: Difficult
  • *Identification: Form– Branched or unbranched shrubs 1-3 m tall. Leaves– ovate to ovate-lanceolate; blades 12-30 cm long by 6-17 cm wide; margins crenate, denticulate, serrate, or doubly serrate; petioles 6-18 cm long. Flower– hypanthium ovoid to cylindrical; calyx lobes subulate, 0.5-1 mm long; corolla white or greenish white, curved, 45-60 mm long with 1 dorsal knob
  • Phylogenetic comments: While more similar to Cyanea morphologically, studies have shown that Delissea actually seem more closely related to the succulent Brighamia species. D. waianaeensis was recently split from D. subcordata
  • Links: Delissea subcordata SGCN (pdf), Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Delissea, US Fish and Wildlife Delissea subcordata 5-year review (pdf), Origin, adaptive radiation and diversification of the Hawaiian Lobeliads (Asterales: Campanulaceae) Givnish, Thomas J., et al.  Proc. R. Soc. B. 7 Feb. 2009 vol. 276 no. 1656 407-416
  • Additional Photos:

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

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The hills have eyes… and really weird flowers

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

I like hiking Ko’olau range because I like the juxtaposition of rare native biota and dense urban environments. That whole sharing the planet thing again. However, I just can’t deny how amazing the native flora is in the Wai’anae range is. So here we go, another trek into the hills above Makua, and more wonderful surprises…

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Trailside plants of the Hawai’i Loa Ridge

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

While it’s an obvious play off John Hall’s excellent book, my ambitions are much humbler than his. Highlighting native plants on one trail is enough for me. On a whim, I decided to do a short 3-4 hr hike up to the Ko’olau summit via the Hawai’i Loa Ridge trail to check out the native plant life. It’s short relative to my typical all-day hikes anyway.

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Snapshot: Hulumoa on Ahakea lau nui

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Here’s another species of Hulumoa (Korthalsella complanata). K. complanata is the most common of the Hawaiian mistletoes. It is also found on a wider variety of host plants than the other species. Here it is on Ahakea lau nui (Bobea elatior). This species is quite variable vegetatively, but on Bobea hosts, it looks strikingly similar to K. latissima on Mt. Ka’ala. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I can spot the differences; I know K. latissima branches more sparingly than K. complanata. Perhaps more time in the field will help…

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #10: Clermontia faurei

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Clermontia faurei

  • Hawaiian Name: Haha’aiakamanu
  • Conservation Status: Apparently Secure
  • Distribution: Kaua’i, O’ahu (2 records in 1950 & 1956)
  • Date photographed: 9/22/2010
  • Ease of viewing: Easy
  • *Identification: Form– Terrestrial or epiphytic shrub or tree 2-7 m tall. Leaves– oblong to elliptic; blades 5-17 cm long by 1.5-7 cm wide; margins callose-crenulate; petioles 1.5-8 cm long. Flower– hypanthium hemispherical to obconical, 9-15 mm long; calyx lobes deltate to shallowly triangular, 2-4 mm long; corolla greenish or purplish externally, cream within, curved, 60-70 mm long.
  • Phylogenetic comments: This is the only species of Clermontia found on Kaua’i.
  • My notes: Even though this is the only type found on the island, it is a major component of the wet forest plant community. Clermontia faurei is one of the most common plants in the understory along sections of the Pihea trail. Where I saw C. faurei, it was difficult to tell where one sprawling shrub stopped and another began.
  • Links: Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Clermontia
  • Additional Pics:

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

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Gulch-hopping in Mokule’ia

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Approaching Cyaneas

We hiked several gulches in the Mokule’ia forest preserve to check out the native plants in the area. This part of the northern Wai’anaes has some nice native forest that are still fairly species rich. Let’s see how things have changed since the days Hathaway and Degener hiked these areas.

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Remnant of the Past or Vision of the Future?

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

A majority of these botany hikes I go on have been with Joel and Kenji. It has been a real privilege because they are both walking encyclopedias of the biota here in Hawai’i. So much of what I have learned is because of these guys. This past weekend we went to check out an interesting patch of Ohia forest in the hills behind Pupukea.

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‘Alae’ula: surprise guests at a party

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

First off, I would like to congratulate my good friend Art for getting his Master’s degree. I was at his graduation party on Sunday at The Oahu Club in Hawai’i Kai to celebrate. I actually had no plans this weekend for hiking and surveying. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary at first: some of his guests were swimming, some were playing tennis. My friends and I were poolside taking in the Jets/Steelers game on the nearest flatscreen TV and drinking beer.

We made our way down to the lawn when the food was ready when, much to my surprise, a family of Hawaiian Moorhens (Gallinua chloropus sandvicensis) appeared!

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A sampling of plants from Mt. Ka’ala

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

The nice thing about many of the windswept summits on O’ahu is that there are still many fairly intact native plant communities there. But by their very nature, surveying on the summits is difficult work. Nothing frustrates me more than barely making out an awesome native plant 40 feet below the summit trail on an inaccessible cliff. Which is why being on Ka’ala was such a joy. No knife-edge summit here, just acres of fairly flat plateau. It makes looking for rare native plants all the more easier. Let’s get right into it.

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