Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Other Names	Po'e, 'ihi, 'ihi makole
Status	Endemic, Endangered
Distribution & Habitat	This rare plant occurs primarily in dry subalpine woodland, bare cinders, and near steam vents, 1,030-1,630 m, on Hawai'i.  A single collection has been made from Po'opo'o Islet off the coast of Lana'i at 30 m.  (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074)
Locations in this Guide	Puimau Hot Spot
General Appearance	This is a fleshy perennial herb with a taproot.  Stems are prostrae to weakly ascending.  The stems can be up to about 20 cm long (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074)..
Leaves	The leaves are pale yellowish green and 8 to 16 mm long, 1.5 to 2.5 mm wide.  There is a dense tuft of yellowish brown hairs (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074).
Flowers & Fruits	Flowers have white to pink petals, or pink with a white base.  They are 10 mm wide (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074). The fruit capsules are broadly ovoid, 4 to 4.5 mm long (Wagner, et al. 1990: 1074).
Phenology	Flowers appear to be open in the early morning.  By afternoon, most are closed or gone. Puhimau Hotspot Abundant flowers. 7/15/01
Natural History
Conservation	This is a highly endangered species at this site for several reasons.  There are few individuals in the population (perhaps a hundred or less).  The habitat is also changing as the hot subsurface intrusion moves toward the north.  In just a few years, the change in the adjacent area has been dramatic with the loss of many large `ohi`a trees.  It seems likely that the soil temperatures where this population is found will eventually be too high to permit the survival in its current location.  It is not known whether the population can move fast enough to keep ahead of the habitat change.
Miscellaneous Photos	The entire natural population is found in a small area.  The plants are generally scattered from a few centimeters to perhaps a meter or two apart. The two species of Portulaca are shown together.  P. pilosa is on the left and P. sclerocarpa on the right.
Other Notes

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