Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Scientific Name Hibiscadelphus giffardianus Rock
Family Malvaceae (Mallow family)

Other Names Hau kuahiwi (transl. "mountain hau")
Status Endemic, Endangered
Distribution & Habitat Found only in Kipuka Puaulu in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Locations in this Guide Kipuka Puaulu
General Appearance
This is a tree that grows to a height of 7 m or more with a trunk up to 30 cm in diameter (Wagner, et al. 1990: 879). Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

Leaves
Kipuka Puaulu
Kipuka Puaulu Kipuka Puaulu
Flowers & Fruits
Carlquist (1980: 135-6) notes that the flowers do not fully open. The result is a narrow tubular flower that is curved.  This makes it similar in size and shape to a honeycreeper bill, much as is found in the lobeloids.

The flowers are 2 to 3 inches long and curved.  They are dark red (Stone and Pratt 1994: 317).

Kipuka Puaulu
Kipuka Puaulu Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

The fruits are about 1 inch long with the outside capsule covering a yellow-green color (Stone and Pratt 1994: 317).

The ripe fruit on the right has several small seeds showing.  The seeds are reported by Stone and Pratt (1994: 317) to have light brown hairs.

Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu
Kipuka Puaulu Kipuka Puaulu

Kipuka Puaulu

Phenology Phenology Notes
Kipuka Puaulu Abundant flowers. 7/15/00
Kipuka Puaulu 3 mature fruit. 7/15/00
Kipuka Puaulu A few developing flowers (none open) and 2 fruit. 5/6/01
Kipuka Puaulu Abundant flowers but no fruit. Many flowers developing. 6/10/01
Kipuka Puaulu Save as 6/10/01 6/16/01
Kipuka Puaulu Many flowers, just one mature fruit. 8/3/01
Natural History According to Stone and Pratt (1994:317) there are thought to have been six species in this endemic genus.  Unfortunately, all of these are either rare or extinct.
Conservation
This species has been planted in Kipuka Puaulu.  In is a progeny of a plant discovered by Joseph Rock.  He saved it through propagating seeds and taking cuttings.  The current trees were planted in the 1950s (Stone and Pratt 1994: 317).  In 2000, a number of seedlings were outplanted in a grove in Kipuka Puaulu.
The two pictures below show what may be rat damage to the base of the flower.  The number of rats appears to be high in 2001 and such damage is not unexpected.
Kipuka Puaulu Kipuka Puaulu
Miscellaneous Photos
A thick layer of leaf litter develops beneath the trees. Kipuka Puaulu
Other Notes

References
Links to Other Sites

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Last Updated: 08/05/03

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