Clermontia kakeana Meyen

Genus: Clermontia sect. Clermontia with petaloid sepals.

Status: Least Concern

Range: O'ahu, Moloka'i and Maui; mesic forest, 245-1,100 m.

Growth form: Branching shrub, 1-6 m tall.

This species was first described by Meyen very briefly in his Eine Reise um Die Erde (p. 139) where he is describing his ascent of Pu'u Kakea in the southern Ko'olau range of O'ahu. His description is in a footnote and is quite brief: Clermontia kakeana n. sp. Cl. foliis late oblongis acuminatis basi attenuatis argute serratis subtus ad venas puberulis. [Leaves broadly oblong acuminate, base attenuate, margin sharply serrate, abaxial veins puberulent.] Meyen's "Voyage around the world" is an account of his trip aboard the boat the Prinzess Louise during the years 1830 to 1832. It was published in 1835; Meyen died in 1840. Other botanists, in the book Observationes botanicas published in 1843 and in the series Novorum actorum of the Academiae Caeareae Leopoldino, provided more detailed descriptions of the plants Meyen collected. In particular Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers provided a slightly enlarged description for Clermontia kakeana.

How to identify:

Number of seeds per fruit > 2000 (Cory et al. 2015). Peak flowering time is spring and summer but some flowers or fruit are present throughout the year (Cory et al. 2015)

A study (conducted 1980-1984, published 2015) by Cory et al. 2015, showed that Cyanea angustifolia along with Clermontia kakeana are self-compatible.

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