Lysimachia iniki
Encyclopedia
Lysimachia iniki is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae
known by the common names Wailua River yellow loosestrife and Wailua River island-loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii
, where there is only one known occurrence existing on the island of Kauai
. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species
of the United States in 2010.
This plant was discovered in 1992, shortly after Hurricane Iniki
tore a specimen off the tall cliffs above Kauai's Wailua River
and dropped bits of it where it could be collected. When analysis revealed it was a new species, it was described to science and named for the hurricane. The Hawaiian
word `iniki means "sharp and piercing, as wind or pangs of love."
This is a shrub
with hairy green hanging branches growing up to 1.5 meters in length. The woody base grows attached to wet, mossy cliffs. The oval leaves are roughly 3 to 5 centimeters long by 2 to 4 wide. The leaves are packed closely together. Funnel-shaped flowers grow in the leaf axils borne on pedicels
up to 2.5 centimeters in length. Each flower has lance-shaped green sepal
s at the base. The flower petals are dark red at the bases and white at the tips. The stamen
s are dark red. The fruit is a rounded capsule under a centimeter long.
When the plant was described there were at least 25 individuals. By 2010 there were 40 plants remaining in the single location where it is known to grow, by the "Blue Hole" at the headwaters of the north fork of the Wailua River.
Threats to this species include hurricanes; individuals were damaged during Hurricanes Iniki and Iwa
. It is threatened by its small population size, which may cause loss of reproductive vigor
and genetic variability
and makes the species vulnerable to extinction
in any one severe event, such as a hurricane. The cliff-dwelling plant is also vulnerable during flood
ing and landslide
s. The habitat is vulnerable to invasion
by non-native plant species
.
Myrsinaceae
Myrsinaceae, or the Myrsine family, is a rather large family from the order Ericales. It consists of 35 genera and about 1000 species....
known by the common names Wailua River yellow loosestrife and Wailua River island-loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where there is only one known occurrence existing on the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of the United States in 2010.
This plant was discovered in 1992, shortly after Hurricane Iniki
Hurricane Iniki
Hurricane Iniki was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5 during the strong El Niño of 1991–1994, Iniki was one of eleven Central Pacific tropical cyclones during the 1992 season. It attained tropical storm status on...
tore a specimen off the tall cliffs above Kauai's Wailua River
Wailua River
The Wailuā River is a river on the island of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is formed by the confluence of its North and South forks just west of Wailua and enters the Pacific Ocean at . It is the only navigable river in the Hawaiian Islands...
and dropped bits of it where it could be collected. When analysis revealed it was a new species, it was described to science and named for the hurricane. The Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
word `iniki means "sharp and piercing, as wind or pangs of love."
This is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
with hairy green hanging branches growing up to 1.5 meters in length. The woody base grows attached to wet, mossy cliffs. The oval leaves are roughly 3 to 5 centimeters long by 2 to 4 wide. The leaves are packed closely together. Funnel-shaped flowers grow in the leaf axils borne on pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
up to 2.5 centimeters in length. Each flower has lance-shaped green sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s at the base. The flower petals are dark red at the bases and white at the tips. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are dark red. The fruit is a rounded capsule under a centimeter long.
When the plant was described there were at least 25 individuals. By 2010 there were 40 plants remaining in the single location where it is known to grow, by the "Blue Hole" at the headwaters of the north fork of the Wailua River.
Threats to this species include hurricanes; individuals were damaged during Hurricanes Iniki and Iwa
Hurricane Iwa
Hurricane Iwa, taken from the Hawaiian language name for the frigatebird , was at the time the costliest hurricane to affect the state of Hawaii. Iwa was the twenty-third tropical storm and the twelfth and final hurricane of the 1982 Pacific hurricane season. It developed from an active trough of...
. It is threatened by its small population size, which may cause loss of reproductive vigor
Reproductive success
Reproductive success is defined as the passing of genes onto the next generation in a way that they too can pass those genes on. In practice, this is often a tally of the number of offspring produced by an individual. A more correct definition, which incorporates inclusive fitness, is the...
and genetic variability
Genetic variability
Genetic variability is a measure of the tendency of individual genotypes in a population to vary from one another. Variability is different from genetic diversity, which is the amount of variation seen in a particular population. The variability of a trait describes how much that trait tends to...
and makes the species vulnerable to extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
in any one severe event, such as a hurricane. The cliff-dwelling plant is also vulnerable during flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing and landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s. The habitat is vulnerable to invasion
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
by non-native plant species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
.