Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Scientific Name Cyrtandra platyphylla A. Gray
Family Gesneriaceae (African Violet Family)
Other Names `ilihia
Status Endemic
Distribution & Habitat Found in moist, shaded sites in wet and sometimes mesic forest.  It has an elevation range from 370 to 1,220 m on Hawaii.  Also found on Maui where it occurs even higher (Wagner, et al. 1990: 774).
Locations in this Guide Thurston Lava Tube
General Appearance
This is a shrub that ranges from about 1 to 3.5 m tall (Wagner, et al. 1990: 774).

The stems are unsually not branched, or there may be a few branches.

Stone and Pratt (1990: 233) refer to this as a brittle stemmed plant.

 Thurston Lava Tube
Thurston Lava Tube Thurston Lava Tube
Leaves
The leaves are found opposite.  They are large, with a usual size range from 10 to 26 cm long and 9 to 16 cm wide (Wagner, et al. 1990: 774).

Stone and Pratt (1994: 174) describe these leaves as being large, fleshy, heart-shaped and covered with soft golden hairs.

 Thurston Lava Tube
Thurston Lava Tube Thurston Lava Tube
Flowers & Fruits
The flowers are pale green.
The berries are white and 1 to 2 cm long.
Phenology
Natural History
Conservation
Miscellaneous Photos
Other Notes This is a very difficult group, with some 53 endemic species recognized by Wagner, et al. (1990: 735).  The species are very polymorphic and hybridization frequently occurs.
References
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Last Updated: 08/05/03