Kadua coriacea
Encyclopedia
Kadua coriacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the coffee family
known by the common name kioele. It is endemic to Hawaii
, where it is known only from the island of Hawaii
and one individual remaining on Maui
. It is a federally listed endangered species
of the United States.
Today there are nine populations of the plant at the Pohakuloa Training Area
on Hawaii totalling 155 individuals, plus 75 which have been planted in the habitat. There is one individual plant on Maui, but it was severely burned in a fire in 2007. The plant has been watered and monitored in an effort to revive it.
This plant grows in woodlands dominated
by ōhia lehua
(Metrosideros polymorpha). Other plants in the habitat include aalii
(Dodonaea viscosa), kookoolau (Bidens menziesii), kawelu (Eragrostis variabilis), pili grass
(Heteropogon contortus), kumuniu (Doryopteris decipiens), nehe (Melanthera lavarum), naio
, (Myoporum sandwicense), ulei
(Osteomeles anthyllidifolia), and iliahialoe
(Santalum ellipticum).
This is a shrub
with leathery leaves up to 8 centimeters long by 3 wide. The plant blooms in cymes of fleshy tubular flowers up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a capsule containing dark brown seed.
Threats to this rare species include habitat damage and destruction by feral
ungulate
s and introduced plant species
.
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
known by the common name kioele. 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 Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
and one individual remaining on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. 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...
of the United States.
Today there are nine populations of the plant at the Pohakuloa Training Area
Pohakuloa Training Area
Pōhakuloa Training Area is located on the island of Hawaii in the high plateau between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and the Hualālai volcanic mountains...
on Hawaii totalling 155 individuals, plus 75 which have been planted in the habitat. There is one individual plant on Maui, but it was severely burned in a fire in 2007. The plant has been watered and monitored in an effort to revive it.
This plant grows in woodlands dominated
Dominant species
Dominant species may mean:*Dominant species , one of a small number of species which dominate in an ecological community*Dominant Species by Michael E. Marks*Dominant Species...
by ōhia lehua
Metrosideros polymorpha
The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...
(Metrosideros polymorpha). Other plants in the habitat include aalii
Dodonaea viscosa
Dodonaea viscosa is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia.-Description:...
(Dodonaea viscosa), kookoolau (Bidens menziesii), kawelu (Eragrostis variabilis), pili grass
Heteropogon contortus
Heteropogon contortus is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia and Oceania. The species has also become a naturalised weed in tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas and East Asia. The plant grows to ...
(Heteropogon contortus), kumuniu (Doryopteris decipiens), nehe (Melanthera lavarum), naio
Myoporum sandwicense
Myoporum sandwicense is a species of flowering tree in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. Common names include Naio, bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood. It is native to Hawaii and Mangaia in the Cook Islands.-Description:...
, (Myoporum sandwicense), ulei
Osteomeles anthyllidifolia
Osteomeles anthyllidifolia, commonly called Ūlei, Eluehe, Uulei, Hawaiian Rose, or Hawaiian Hawthorn, is a species of flowering shrub in the rose family, Rosaceae, that is indigenous to Hawaii , the Cook Islands, Tonga, Rarotonga, Pitcairn Island, and Rapa Iti.-Description:Osteomeles...
(Osteomeles anthyllidifolia), and iliahialoe
Santalum ellipticum
Santalum ellipticum, commonly known as Iliahialoe or Coast Sandalwood, is a species of flowering plant in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is a sprawling shrub to small tree, typically reaching a height of and a canopy spread of , but is...
(Santalum ellipticum).
This 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...
with leathery leaves up to 8 centimeters long by 3 wide. The plant blooms in cymes of fleshy tubular flowers up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a capsule containing dark brown seed.
Threats to this rare species include habitat damage and destruction by feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s and introduced 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...
.