Cyrtandra (plant)
Encyclopedia
Cyrtandra is a genus of flowering plants containing about 600 species, with more being discovered often, and is thus the largest genus in the family Gesneriaceae
. These plants are native to Southeast Asia
, Australia
, and the Pacific Islands
, with the centre of diversity in Southeast Asia
and the Malesia
n region. The genus is common, but many species within it are very rare, localized, endangered endemic plants. The species can be difficult to identify because they are highly polymorphic
and because they readily hybridize with each other. The plants may be small herbs, vines, shrub
s, epiphyte
s, or trees. The genus is characterized in part by having two stamen
s, and most species have white flowers, with a few red-, orange-, yellow- and pink-flowered species known. Almost all species live in rainforest
habitats.
It is an example of a supertramp
genus.
Hawaii
an Cyrtandra are known as ha‘iwale.
Species include:
Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae is a family of flowering plants consisting of ca. 150 genera and ca. 3,200 species in the Old World and New World tropics and subtropics, with a very small number extending to temperate areas. Many species have colorful and showy flowers and are cultivated as ornamental plants.Most...
. These plants are native to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
, with the centre of diversity in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and the Malesia
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the boundaries of the Indomalaya ecozone and Australasia ecozone, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom.-Floristic province:...
n region. The genus is common, but many species within it are very rare, localized, endangered endemic plants. The species can be difficult to identify because they are highly polymorphic
Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
and because they readily hybridize with each other. The plants may be small herbs, vines, shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s, or trees. The genus is characterized in part by having two stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s, and most species have white flowers, with a few red-, orange-, yellow- and pink-flowered species known. Almost all species live in rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
habitats.
It is an example of a supertramp
Supertramp (ecology)
In ecology, a supertramp species is any type of animal which follows the "supertramp" strategy of high dispersion among many different habitats, towards none of which it is particularly specialized...
genus.
Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Cyrtandra are known as ha‘iwale.
Species include:
- Cyrtandra aurantiicarpa
- Cyrtandra biserrata – Molokai cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra cleopatrae
- Cyrtandra confertiflora – lava cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra crenataCyrtandra crenataCyrtandra crenata is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name Kahana Valley cyrtandra. It is endemic to Oahu in Hawaii, where it is known only from the Koolau Mountains. It has not been seen since 1947, however, and it is feared extinct...
– Kahana Valley cyrtandra - Cyrtandra cyaneoidesCyrtandra cyaneoidesCyrtandra cyaneoides is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name mapele. It is endemic to Kauai in Hawaii, where it is known from eleven populations containing a total of under 800 individual plants. Several of these were discovered between 2003 and...
– mapele - Cyrtandra dentataCyrtandra dentataCyrtandra dentata is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common names mountain cyrtandra and sharp-toothed cyrtandra. It is endemic to Oahu in Hawaii, where the most recent count estimates 1640 plants occurring in the Waianae Mountains and Koʻolau Mountains....
– mountain cyrtandra - Cyrtandra elatostemoides
- Cyrtandra ferripilosa – red-hair cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra filipes – gulch cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra garnotiana – hahala
- Cyrtandra giffardiiCyrtandra giffardiiCyrtandra giffardii is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common names forest cyrtandra and Giffard's cyrtandra. It is endemic to the island of Hawaii, where it grows on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. A 1998 estimate places the total remaining...
– forest cyrtandra - Cyrtandra gracilis – Palolo Valley cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra grandiflora – largeflower cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra grayana – Pacific cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra grayi – Gray's cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra halawensis – toothleaf cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra hashimotoi – Maui cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra hawaiensis – Hawaii cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra hematos – singleflower cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra hirtigera
- Cyrtandra hypochrysoides
- Cyrtandra kalihii – Koolau Range cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra kamooloaensis – Kamo'oloa cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra kauaiensis – ulunahele
- Cyrtandra kealiae
- Cyrtandra kealiae ssp. kealiae (syn. C. limahuliensis)
- Cyrtandra kealiae ssp. urceolata
- Cyrtandra kohalae – Kohala Mountain cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra laxiflora – Oahu cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra lessoniana – Lesson's cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra macraei – upland cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra menziesii – ha'i wale
- Cyrtandra munroiCyrtandra munroiCyrtandra munroi is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common names Lanaihale cyrtandra and Munro's cyrtandra. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from the islands of Lanai and Maui. There are fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. It is a...
– Lanaihale cyrtandra - Cyrtandra nitens
- Cyrtandra oenobarbaCyrtandra oenobarbaCyrtandra oenobarba is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name shaggystem cyrtandra. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai. It can be found in only three localized areas of the island and there are fewer than 500...
– shaggystem cyrtandra - Cyrtandra olona – Kauai cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra oxybapha – Pohakea Gulch cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra palikuCyrtandra palikuCyrtandra paliku is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name cliffside cyrtandra. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai. The plant was first discovered in 1993 and it was described to science as a new species in 2001...
– cliffside cyrtandra - Cyrtandra paludosa – kanaweo ke'oke'o
- Cyrtandra platyphylla – 'ilihia
- Cyrtandra polyanthaCyrtandra polyanthaCyrtandra polyantha is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common names Niu Valley cyrtandra. It is endemic to the Hawaii, where it is known only from the Koʻolau Mountains of Oahu. In 2007 there were only two populations containing a total of 46 mature...
– Niu Valley cyrtandra - Cyrtandra pruinosa – frosted cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra pulgarensis
- Cyrtandra samoensis
- Cyrtandra sessilis – windyridge cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra subumbellataCyrtandra subumbellataCyrtandra subumbellata is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name parasol cyrtandra. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the Koʻolau Mountains on the island of Oahu. By 2008 there were three known populations containing 110 plants, or...
– parasol cyrtandra - Cyrtandra tahuatensis
- Cyrtandra tintinnabulaCyrtandra tintinnabulaCyrtandra tintinnabula is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name Laupahoehoe cyrtandra. It is endemic to the island of Hawaii, where it is known only from the slopes of Mauna Kea. As of 1996 there were only three occurrences containing fewer than 20...
– Laupahoehoe cyrtandra - Cyrtandra umbellifera
- Cyrtandra viridifloraCyrtandra viridifloraCyrtandra viridiflora is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the northern Koolau Mountains of Oahu. By 2003 there were nine small populations remaining, for a total of 69 plants. It was federally listed as an...
– greenleaf cyrtandra - Cyrtandra waiolani – fuzzyflower cyrtandra
- Cyrtandra wawrae – rockface cyrtandra