Lysimachia filifolia

Lysimachia filifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by the common name Wailua River yellow loosestrife.[1] It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are two populations on Oahu and one on Kauai. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Lysimachia filifolia

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Primulaceae
Genus: Lysimachia
Species:
L. filifolia
Binomial name
Lysimachia filifolia

This is a small shrub growing up to about half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are very narrow to threadlike and the flowers are reddish purple.[2] The plant grows on the faces of waterfalls in wet forest habitat.[2][3]

There are about 130 individuals remaining on the island of Oahu, growing at waterfalls in the Koolau Range.[3] There is a single population on Kauai, just discovered in 2008.[3] Another population of plants on Kauai proved to be members of a different species, Lysimachia pendens.[3]

This plant is threatened by the degradation of its habitat by feral pigs and non-native plant species such as mistflower (Ageratina riparia), ti (Cordyline fruticosa), and umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla).[3]

References
  1. USDA Plants Profile
  2. L. filifolia. The Nature Conservancy.
  3. USFWS. L. filifolia Five-year Review. July 2009.


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