Cyanea grimesiana Gaudich.

Genus: Cyanea

Range: O'ahu, both Ko'olau and Wai'anae Ranges, mesic to wet forest, 200-730 m.

Growth form: Treelet, 1-3.2 m tall.

Cy. grimesiana is the type for Cyanea. It was the first species of Cyanea that was properly described (by Gaudichaud) though Nelson had earlier collected other species. Cy. grimesiana has been widely circumscribed as recently as in the Wagner et al. Flora of Hawaii (1999), but the species complex has now been subdivided into species by Lammers (1998a).

How to identify: Pinnate leaves on the adult plant. Other Cyanea have pinnate leaves on the juvenile plants. Also Cyanea aspleniifolia and Cyanea shipmanii have pinnate leaves, but the first is found on Maui and the second on the big island.

Images: Gaudichaud, plate 75

Sources:

• Gaudichaud, 1826;
• Hooker & Arnott, 1832 (as Lobelia grimesiana);
• Chamisso, 1833;
• G. Don, 1834;
• De Candolle, 1838;
• Nuttall, 1843;
• Gray, 1861;
• Mann, 1868;
• Wawra, 1873;
• Hillebrand, 1888 (var. β and γ from Maui are Cy. mauiensis);
• Rock, 1919 (note, var. mauiensis and lydgatei are now Cy. mauiensis and var. cylindrocalyx is now Cy. cylindrocalyx);
• Degener, 1932 (note, var. mauiensis and lydgatei are now Cy. mauiensis);
• Wimmer, 1943 (note, var. mauiensis and lydgatei are now Cy. mauiensis and var. cylindrocalyx is now Cy. cylindrocalyx);
• Wimmer, 1968 (incl var. hirsutifolia);
• Wagner et al., 1999 (pro-parte).