Kokia lanceolata
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Kokia lanceolata (English name: Wailupe Valley treecotton) is an extinct species of plant from the family of mallow (Malvaceae). It belonged to the small genus Kokia , which consists of only four species.
This plant species was first collected by Wilhelm Hillebrand in 1888 . In 1912 it was scientifically described by Frederick Lewis Lewton .
description
Kokia lanceolata was a small tree , the exact height of which is unknown. The leaves were 8 to 12.5 inches wide and seven times lobed. On the underside, the leaves showed hairiness in the nerve axils near the leaf base.
The stalks of the single flowers (pedicles) were 3.5 to 5 centimeters long. The narrow, lanceolate involucre was 30 to 38 millimeters long and 8 to 13 millimeters wide. The bracts were smooth or hairy towards the base. The flowers looked hibiscus blossoms ( Hibiscus ) similar. The calyx was 1.5 to 2 centimeters long, smooth and irregularly cut; in contrast to hibiscus species, they were wavy in shape. The red petals and the columna were about four inches long. The flowers produced a lot of nectar . Due to the structure of the flowers, it can be assumed that the species was pollinated by birds ( bird flower ). Fruit and seeds of this plant species are not known.
Occurrence
Kokia lanceolata was endemic to the dry forests of the southeastern Hawaiian island of Oahu . Their occurrence was limited to the Makaku and Koko Head hills and the Wailupe Valley .
die out
Kokia lanceolata probably became extinct in the late 19th century or early 20th century. The reasons were presumably cattle overgrazing , urbanization and invasive plants . Despite intensive searches, no more plants of this species were found.
literature
- Warren L. Wagner, Derral R. Herbst, SH Sohmer: Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i. University of Hawai'i Press, 1999, ISBN 0824821661 .
- World Wildlife Fund Guide to Extinct Species of Modern Times, 1997, ISBN 0933833407 .
Web links
- Entry at Natureserve
- Malvaceae in Hawaii
- Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i Vol. 1 Section 64 - Malvaceae: Mallow Family
- Kokia lanceolata in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: World Conservation Monitoring Center, 1998. Retrieved on 26 May of 2007.