''Hibiscadelphus hualalaiensis'' (Hualalai hau kuahiwi) is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the mallow family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the Big Island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Description

''H. hualalaiensis'' is a small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

, reaching a height of and trunk diameter of .

Distribution and habitat

It inhabits dry and mixed mesic forests on the slopes of

Hualālai Hualālai (pronounced in Hawaiian) is an active volcano on the island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the westernmost, third-youngest and the third-most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, following Kīlauea ...

at elevations of . Associated plants include ōhia lehua (''

Metrosideros polymorpha ''Metrosideros polymorpha'', the ''ōhia lehua'',; is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the Myrtus, myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is Endemism, endemic to the six largest Hawaiian Islands, islands of Hawaii, Hawaii. It is a member of the ...

''), lama ('' Diospyros sandwicensis''), māmane (''

Sophora chrysophylla ''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian language, Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is Endemism, endemic to Hawaii. It is highly Polymorphism (biology), polymorphic, growing a ...

''), naio (''

Myoporum sandwicense ''Myoporum sandwicense'', commonly known as ''naio'', bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is a tree or shrub highly variable in its form, the size and shape of its le ...

''), ālaa (''

Planchonella sandwicensis ''Planchonella sandwicensis'' is a species of flowering tree in the sapodilla family, Sapotaceae, that is endemic to the main islands of Hawaii. Names for this species in the Hawaiian language include ''Ālaa'', ''Āulu'' and ''Ēlaa''. Descrip ...

''), pāpala (''

Charpentiera ''Charpentiera'' is a flowering plant genus in the family Amaranthaceae. It consists of five species Endemism, endemic to Hawaii, Hawaii, where they are known as ''pāpala'', and one species found only on the island of Tubuai (Austral Islands), ...

'' spp.), aiea (''

Nothocestrum ''Nothocestrum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. It contains four species of large shrubs or small trees that are endemic to Hawaii, where they are known as ''aiea''. Species * '' Nothocestrum breviflorum'' ...

'' spp.), poolā ('' Claoxylon sandwicense''), and Kikuyu grass (''

Pennisetum clandestinum ''Cenchrus'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Its species are native to many countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic islands. Comm ...

'').

Conservation

The last known plant died in 1992, making it most likely

extinct in the wild A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as only consisting of living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range ...

; any remaining plants are threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. However, individuals have been breed in captivity and replanted in nature reserves of the Big Island.

References

hualalaiensis Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Hawaii (island) Trees of Hawaii Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Hibisceae-stub