Schiedea attenuata
Encyclopedia
Schiedea attenuata is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name Kalalau schiedea. It is endemic to Hawaii
, where it is known only from the Kalalau Valley
on the island of Kauai
. It is threatened by the degradation of its habitat. It was federally listed as an endangered species
of the United States in 2010.
This plant is a shrub
growing up to about 75 centimeters tall. It is covered in tiny, curved, purplish hairs. The oppositely arranged leaves have thick, somewhat fleshy blades which are linear to lance-shaped and measure up to 7 centimeters long by less than a centimeter wide. The inflorescence
is an open cyme of up to 55 flowers. The flower has small lance-shaped green sepal
s and no petals.
This shrub grows on very steep basalt
cliffs on the slopes of the Kalalau Valley of Kauai. Other plants in the habitat include Gouania meyenii
, Peucedanum sandwicense
, Poa mannii
, Hedyotis
sp., Lysimachia glutinosa,
Melicope pallida
, Dubautia
sp., Dryopteris unidentata, Metrosideros polymorpha
, Coprosma
sp., Vaccinium
sp., Lipochaeta
sp., Wilkesia
sp., Lobelia niihauensis
, Lepidium serra, Nestegis sandwicensis
, and Hibiscus kokio. When the plant was first described in 1994 there were only 20 individuals counted. By 2007 there had been no more plants discovered.
One major threat to the species is the feral goat
population. It is also threatened by the invasion
of non-native
plants into its habitat. Because there are only a few plants of this species, it could face extinction
in any one major event, such as a hurricane.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
known by the common name Kalalau schiedea. 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 Kalalau Valley
Kalalau Valley
The Kalalau Valley is located on the northwest side of the island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. The valley is located in the Nā Pali Coast State Park and houses the beautiful Kalalau Beach. The Nā Pali Coast is very rugged and is inaccessible to automobiles...
on 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 threatened by the degradation of its habitat. It was federally listed as an 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 in 2010.
This plant 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...
growing up to about 75 centimeters tall. It is covered in tiny, curved, purplish hairs. The oppositely arranged leaves have thick, somewhat fleshy blades which are linear to lance-shaped and measure up to 7 centimeters long by less than a centimeter wide. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an open cyme of up to 55 flowers. The flower has small lance-shaped green sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and no petals.
This shrub grows on very steep basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
cliffs on the slopes of the Kalalau Valley of Kauai. Other plants in the habitat include Gouania meyenii
Gouania meyenii
Gouania meyenii is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common name smoothfruit chewstick. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from Oahu and Kauai. It is estimated that there are between 38 and 63 individuals of this species remaining in the wild...
, Peucedanum sandwicense
Peucedanum sandwicense
Peucedanum sandwicense is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name makou. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from Maui, Molokai, Kauai, and Oahu. It is threatened by introduced species of plants and animals...
, Poa mannii
Poa mannii
Poa mannii is a rare species of grass known by the common names Mann's bluegrass and Olokele Gulch bluegrass. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is limited to the island of Kauai. It is threatened by the loss and modification of its habitat...
, Hedyotis
Hedyotis
Hedyotis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. Many species of this genus such as Hedyotis biflora, H. corymbosa and H. diffusa are well known medicinal plants. The hedyotis is native to tropical and subtropical Asia and to islands of the northwest Pacific. It comprises about...
sp., Lysimachia glutinosa,
Melicope pallida
Melicope pallida
Melicope pallida is a species of tree in the Rutaceae family. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Like other Hawaiian Melicope, this species is known as alani.This tree grows up to ten meters in...
, Dubautia
Dubautia
Dubautia is a genus of flowering plant in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It contains more species than the other two genera in the silversword alliance, including cushion plants, shrubs, trees, and lianas.-Selected species:...
sp., Dryopteris unidentata, Metrosideros polymorpha
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...
, Coprosma
Coprosma
Coprosma is a genus of 108 species that are found in New Zealand , Hawaii , Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Is. Many species are small shrubs with tiny evergreen leaves, but a few are small trees and have much larger leaves...
sp., Vaccinium
Vaccinium
Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry...
sp., Lipochaeta
Lipochaeta
Lipochaeta is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae.-Selected species:*Lipochaeta connata DC. – Nehe *Lipochaeta degeneri Sherff – Molokai Nehe...
sp., Wilkesia
Wilkesia
Wilkesia is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It contains two perennials, both of which are endemic to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Wilkesia is a component of the silversword alliance.-Species:...
sp., Lobelia niihauensis
Lobelia niihauensis
Lobelia niihauensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Niihau lobelia. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the islands of Oahu and Kauai. It is thought to be extirpated from Niihau...
, Lepidium serra, Nestegis sandwicensis
Nestegis sandwicensis
Nestegis sandwicensis, commonly known as Olopua, is a species of flowering tree in the olive family, Oleaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is found on all major islands at elevations of in coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests, and, especially, dry forests...
, and Hibiscus kokio. When the plant was first described in 1994 there were only 20 individuals counted. By 2007 there had been no more plants discovered.
One major threat to the species is the feral goat
Feral goat
The feral goat is the domestic goat when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain, Hawaii, the Galapagos and in many other parts of the world...
population. It is also threatened by the invasion
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
of non-native
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...
plants into its habitat. Because there are only a few plants of this species, it could face extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
in any one major event, such as a hurricane.