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Trematolobelia singularis. Hawai`i, O`ahu, Ko`olau Mountains, Kōnāhuanui. Plant 1.

Trematolobelia singularis H. St. John

Hawaiian names: koli`i

Family: Campanulaceae (the bellflower family)

Habit: A shrub, usually single stemmed, rarely branching; monocarpic (flowers once, then dies) if single-stemmed.

 

Trematolobelia singularis is endemic to the central and southern parts of the Ko`olau Mountains of O`ahu. The species is restricted to the summit divide of the mountain range. It occurs in wet shrublands exposed to the trade winds.

 

Federally listed as endangered.

 

Identifying a Trematolobelia in the Ko`olau Mountains as T. singularis or T. macrostachys by whether or not its inflorescence branches does not always work since T. macrostachys sometimes has unbranched inflorescences and T. singularis sometimes produces one or two extra branches in its inflorescence. A reliable way to tell whether the plant is a T. singularis or a T. macrostachys, even if it is vegetative, is to look at its stem. Trematolobelia singularis has stems whose skin is shiny and the stems are often knobby, while T. macrostachys has stems whose skin is dull and the stems are not knobby.

 

T. singularis stems:

www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/5533861526/in/photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/5533260301/in/photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/5549954584/in/photostream

www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/8078788879/in/photostream

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www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/54320002259/in/datepos...

www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/54319997053/in/datepos...

 

A T. macrostachys stem:

www.flickr.com/photos/53193377@N02/5533870188/in/photostream

 

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Uploaded on October 12, 2012
Taken on October 6, 2012