Stenogyne kanehoana
Encyclopedia
Stenogyne kanehoana is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name Oahu stenogyne. It is endemic to Hawaii
, where it is known only from the Waianae Range
on the island of Oahu
. It is a federally listed endangered species
of the United States.
This plant was feared extinct
when the last known individuals died in 1996. Six plants were discovered in 2000, but by 2005 these were also dead. As of 2004 there was only a single individual remaining in the wild, a very large plant spanning over four meters which may actually be more than one individual growing together. Cuttings have been collected from this plant.
This Hawaiian mint is a woolly vine which can reach 1 or 2 meters in length. The woolly leaves are up to 14 centimeters long by 4.8 wide. The plant produces tubular flowers which may be over 4 centimeters long. They are white or yellowish with purple-pink lips. The plant reproduces vegetatively
, rooting where the stems contact the substrate and growing up new, cloned plants.
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
known by the common name Oahu stenogyne. 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 Waianae Range
Waianae Range
Waianae Range is the eroded remains of an ancient shield volcano that comprises the western half of the Hawaiian Island of Oahu...
on the island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. 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.
This plant was feared extinct
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...
when the last known individuals died in 1996. Six plants were discovered in 2000, but by 2005 these were also dead. As of 2004 there was only a single individual remaining in the wild, a very large plant spanning over four meters which may actually be more than one individual growing together. Cuttings have been collected from this plant.
This Hawaiian mint is a woolly vine which can reach 1 or 2 meters in length. The woolly leaves are up to 14 centimeters long by 4.8 wide. The plant produces tubular flowers which may be over 4 centimeters long. They are white or yellowish with purple-pink lips. The plant reproduces vegetatively
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
, rooting where the stems contact the substrate and growing up new, cloned plants.