Kadua flynnii
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Kadua flynnii is a plant from the genus Kadua in the family of the Rubiaceae (Rubiaceae). It is endemic to Hawaii .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Kadua flynnii grows as a shrub that can reach heights of 0.2 to 1 meter. The young trunks are ribbed four times, while the older trunks are only twice ribbed. The bark is peeling off a little.
The constantly against arranged on the branches leaves are divided into a petiole and leaf blade. The often reddish purple tinted, hairless petiole is 0.2 to 0.8 inches long. The simple, leathery leaf blade is 2 to 6 centimeters long and 0.5 to 2.2 centimeters wide and lanceolate to ovate, rarely linear-lanceolate. The base of the blade is wedge-shaped or rounded, rarely also truncated, the tip of the blade, which is often curved like a sickle, is pointed to a long point and the edge of the blade, which is occasionally slightly bent back, has entire margins. From each side of the central leaf vein, two to four pairs of conspicuous, often reddish-purple side veins branch off and the higher-order leaf veins form a conspicuous, net-like pattern. The often reddish purple tinted, bare stipules resemble the foliage leaves, are fused with the base of the petiole and thus form a leaf sheath covered with awn . The triangular leaf sheath is 0.15 to 0.5 inches long and has a stiff awn .
Generative characteristics
The dense panicle-like inflorescences are on an inflorescence stalk. The inflorescences contain 7 to 15 single stalked flowers.
Kadua flynnii seems to be dioecious ( dioecious ). The four-fold and dimorphic flowers are radial symmetry . The sepals are fused together to form a calyx tube. The calyx lobes are elongated, egg-shaped to approximately triangular-sub-shaped with a length of 0.2 to 0.6 centimeters and a width of 0.05 to 0.2 centimeters. The petals are fused together like a saucer. The greenish white to pink corolla tube reaches a length of 1.1 to 1.4 centimeters and a diameter of 0.2 to 0.25 centimeters in the male flowers. The four white to greenish white, elliptical to oblong-lanceolate corolla lobes reach lengths of 0.75 to 0.8 centimeters and widths of 0.15 to 0.2 centimeters. The filaments are 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters long and, woolly in the lower part stylus is 5 to 8 millimeters long. The stigma is sparsely developed and the ovules are present at flowering time, but never develop. In the female flowers, the corolla tube is colored the same as in the male and reaches a length of 0.7 to 0.8 centimeters and a diameter of 0.12 to 0.15 centimeters. The corolla lobes reach lengths of 0.25 to 0.4 centimeters and widths of 0.08 to 0.15 centimeters. The filaments are 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters long and, woolly in the lower part stylus is 6 to 8 millimeters long. The ovoid-elliptical scar is 1 to 1.5 millimeters long.
The capsule fruits are approximately spherical in shape with a length of 0.5 to 0.6 centimeters and a thickness of 0.5 to 0.65 centimeters. Each of the fruits contains several dark brown to black seeds. With a length of 0.6 to 0.9 millimeters, they are irregularly elliptical to almost spherical in shape and the seed coat has papillae .
Occurrence and endangerment
The natural range of Kadua flynnii is on the Hawaii island of Kaua'i . The distribution area there includes the valleys extending from the Nā-Pali coast in the north of the island , from Limahuli and Hanakapiai in the east to Nualolo and Kawaiula in the west.
Kadua flynnii thrives at altitudes of 335 to 1100 meters. The species grows there on north or north-east facing rock faces or steep peaks, more rarely on steep rocky slopes in open and moderately moist to moist forests. Various types of ironwoods ( metrosideros ) grow in these forests .
Kadua flynnii is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List . Displacement by invasive species as well as habitat destruction by introduced and feral animals as well as landslides are named as the main threats. The total population, which is made up of twelve subpopulations comprising a total of around 240 fully grown plants , is viewed as declining.
Taxonomy
The first description as Hedyotis flynnii was in 1998 by Warren L. Wagner and David H. Lorence in Novon . In 2005 Warren L. Wagner and David H. Lorence transferred the species as Kadua flynnii in Systematic Botany to the genus Kadua .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Kadua flynnii. In: Flora of the Hawaiian Islands. www.botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/hawaiianflora, accessed on January 17, 2017 (English).
- ↑ a b Kadua flynnii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: K. Wood, JC Watson & DH Lorence, 2015. Accessed January 17, 2017th
- ^ Hedyotis flynnii at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed January 17, 2017.
- ↑ Kadua flynnii. In: The Plant List. www.theplantlist.org, accessed on January 17, 2017 .