Lobelia x kauaiensis
Genus: Lobelia sect. Galeatella
Range: Kaua'i; bogs, 640-1,575 m.
Growth form: Treelet, 1-2 m tall.
This species, as first described by Gray, has puberulous raceme and sticky calyx lobes. Many subsequent collections and descriptions placed here include glabrous racemes. Lammers (2007) separated the glabrous specimens as Lobelia wahiawa and then considered the non-glabrous species as an inter-specific hybrid between the glabrous L. wahiawa and the villous L. villosa.
How to identify:
Images:
Sources:
- Gray, 1861 (as Lobelia gaudichaudii var. kauaensis);
- Mann, 1868 (as Lobelia gaudichaudii var. kavaiensis);
- Hillebrand, 1888 (the plants list for Kaua'i of Lobelia gaudichaudii are L. wahiawa);
- Heller, 1897 (Lobelia kauaensis is L. wahiawa);
- Rock, 1913 (describes their appearance in the bog Waialeale of Kauai);
- Rock, 1919 (as Lobelia kauaensis, some specimens are L. wahiawa);
- Wimmer, 1953 (as Lobelia gaudichaudii var. kauaensis, described as glabra so actually are L. wahiawa);
- Wimmer, 1953 (Lobelia gaudichaudii f. hirsuta is possibly a cross between L. villosa and L. x kauaiensis);
- Degener, 1960 (as Galeatella kauaensis is included as part of description of the genus Galeatella);
- Degener, 1960 (Galeatella kauaensis var. hirsuta is possibly a cross between L. villosa and L. x kauaiensis);
- Wimmer, 1968 (as Lobelia kauaiensis);
- Wagner et al., 1999. (as Lobelia kauaensis, the description has the raceme as glabrous);
- Lammers, 2007.