Cyanea rivularis
Cyanea rivularis (syn. Delissea rivularis)[3] is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name plateau cyanea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauaʻi. There are three small populations of the plant remaining in the wild, for a total of 19 individual plants.[3] The plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1996.[1]
| Cyanea rivularis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Campanulaceae |
| Genus: | Cyanea |
| Species: | C. rivularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyanea rivularis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
This Hawaiian lobelioid is a shrub growing 4 to 5 meters tall. It bears blue-striped white flowers. It grows in wet forest habitat, generally next to streams, waterfalls, and plunge pools.[3][1] Other plants in the habitat include ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) and uluhe (Dicranopteris linearis), which dominate the canopy, and kanawao (Broussaisia arguta), ʻieʻie (Freycinetia arborea) and ʻaiea (Ilex anomala) in the understory.[3]
This ecosystem is threatened by exotic plant species such as Koster's curse (Clidemia hirta), Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum), and Santa Barbara daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus). Feral ungulates damage the habitat, and rats and slugs damage plants.[3]
References
- Delissea rivularis. The Nature Conservancy.
- Cyanea rivularis was first described and published in Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu 511. 1913 "Cyanea rivularis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
- USFWS. Delissea rivularis Five-year Review. August 2010.