Isodendrion pyrifolium

Isodendrion pyrifolium is a rare species of flowering plant in the violet family known by the common name wahine noho kula. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Hawaii.[1] It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Isodendrion pyrifolium

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Isodendrion
Species:
I. pyrifolium
Binomial name
Isodendrion pyrifolium

This is a shrub growing 0.8 to 2 meters tall and bearing greenish yellow flowers.[1]

This shrub is thought to have occurred on at least 6 of the Hawaiian Islands.[1] It was not seen after 1870 and was believed extinct until 1991, when it was rediscovered on Hawaii. There was a population of about 60 plants near Kailua. By 2007 most of these had died, leaving only three wild specimens in existence. These are located in degraded dry forest habitat in an area undergoing development. A few more individuals have been planted in appropriate habitat nearby.[2]

The plants' habitat is threatened by development, and non-native plant species such as fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum), which increases the risk of fire in the area.[2]

References
  1. Isodendrion pyrifolium. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. USFWS. I. pyrifolium Five-year Review. January 2008.


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