Cyanea hamatiflora Rock

Genus: Cyanea section Delisseoideae

Etymology: hamatus is latin for hooked. The name alludes to the sharp curvature at the apex of the flower.

Range: Maui, Haleakalā and Hawai'i, Hualālai, wet forests, 1,200-1,740 m.

Growth form: Tree, 3-8 m tall.

This species is one of the most robust of the Hawaiian lobeliads. It is a tall palm-like tree, reaching up to 8m (25ft) with a trunk diameter of 12 cm (5 inches). This species was first described by Rock in 1913 from Haleakalā. Rock then described another palm-like tree in 1957 from the Kona district of the big island which he named Cyanea carlsonii. Rock's thought this species to be closely related to Cy. hamatiflora, but his specimen of this new discovery had neither flowers nor fruit. Nevertheless, he called it a new species based on the lack of pubescence on the leaf undersurface and the different dentation of the leaf margin. Rock collected a new specimen of Cy. carlsonii in 1958 with flowers and additional collections from flowering specimens were made in subsequent years. Along with the leaf differences, the big island specimens have much larger calyx lobes, these growing up to 4.5 cm long. In spite of the morphological differences and the geographic separation, Lammers (1990) placed the Kona tree as a subspecies of Cy. hamatiflora.

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