Delissea rhytidosperma
Encyclopedia
Delissea rhytidosperma is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family
known by the common name Kauai delissea. It is endemic to Hawaii
where it is known only from the island of Kauai
. It is extinct in the wild; some plants that formerly belonged to the species are now called Delissea kauaiensis, leaving no D. rhytidosperma left. It is a federally listed endangered species
.
This Hawaiian lobelioid
is a shrub
which grows up to 2.5 meters tall. The leaves have lance-shaped or nearly oval blades up to 19 centimeters long. The tubular flowers have greenish or purplish petals and distinctive hairs next to the anthers
. The plant's natural habitat is rocky cliffsides in moist forests dominated by Acacia koa. This habitat has been destroyed and degraded by the action of feral pigs, goat
s, and mule deer
, and by exotic plant species
.Germination and establishment are further limited by non-native rodents, snails, and grasses.
Campanulaceae
The family Campanulaceae , of the order Asterales, contains about 2000 species in 70 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky non-toxic sap...
known by the common name Kauai delissea. It is endemic to 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...
where it is known only from the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
. It is extinct in the wild; some plants that formerly belonged to the species are now called Delissea kauaiensis, leaving no D. rhytidosperma left. It is a federally listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
This Hawaiian lobelioid
Hawaiian lobelioids
The Hawaiian lobelioids are a group of flowering plants in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, all of which are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. This is the largest plant radiation in the Hawaiian Islands, and indeed the largest on any island archipelago, with over 125 species...
is a 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...
which grows up to 2.5 meters tall. The leaves have lance-shaped or nearly oval blades up to 19 centimeters long. The tubular flowers have greenish or purplish petals and distinctive hairs next to the anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
. The plant's natural habitat is rocky cliffsides in moist forests dominated by Acacia koa. This habitat has been destroyed and degraded by the action of feral pigs, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, and mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, and by exotic plant species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
.Germination and establishment are further limited by non-native rodents, snails, and grasses.