''Melicope rostrata'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

''Platydesma rostrata'', is a rare species of flowering plant in the citrus family, known by the common name ''pilo kea lau li'i''. It 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 Hawaii, where there are only about 100 individuals remaining on island of

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

.USFWS
Determination of Endangered Status for 48 Species on Kauai and Designation of Critical Habitat; Final Rule.
''Federal Register'' April 13, 2010. It was federally listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

of the United States in 2010. This plant is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

growing one to three meters tall. The leaves are up to 42 centimeters long and white flowers occur in the leaf axils. The shrub grows in moist and wet forest habitat. It is threatened by

feral pig A feral pig is a domestic pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the g ...

s and other animals, and

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

of plants.''Platydesma rostrata''.
The Nature Conservancy.

References

rostrata Rostratus (masculine), rostrata (feminine) or rostratum (neuter) is a Latin adjective meaning "beaked, curved, hooked, with a crooked point, or with a curved front". In marine warfare, the term ''beak'' (''rostrum'') referred to the ram bows on wa ...

Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Kauai {{Rutaceae-stub