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Hawaiian Tropical Dry Forests
The Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and may be as low as ; the rainy season lasts from November to March. Dominant tree species include koa (''Acacia koa''), koaia ('' A. koaia''), akoko (''Euphorbia'' spp.), ōhia lehua (''Metrosideros polymorpha''), lonomea ('' Sapindus oahuensis''), māmane (''Sophora chrysophylla''), loulu ('' Pritchardia'' spp.), lama (''Diospyros sandwicensis''), olopua ('' Nestegis sandwicensis''), wiliwili (''Erythrina sandwicensis''), and iliahi (''Santalum'' spp.). Endemic plant species in the dry forests include hau heleula (''Kokia cookei''), uhiuhi (''Caesalpinia kavaiensis''), and '' Gouania'' spp. The palila (''Loxioides bailleui''), a Hawaiian honeycreeper, is restricted to this type of hab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santalum
''Santalum'' is a genus of woody flowering plants in the Santalaceae family, the best known and commercially valuable of which is the Indian sandalwood tree, '' S. album''. Members of the genus are trees or shrubs. Most are root parasites which photosynthesize their own food, but tap the roots of other species for water and inorganic nutrients. Several species, most notably ''S. album'', produce highly aromatic wood, used for scents and perfumes and for herbal medicine. About 25 known species range across the Indomalayan, Australasian, and Oceanian realms, from India through Malesia to the Pacific Islands, as far as Hawaii and the Juan Fernández Islands off the coast of South America. Indian sandalwood (''S. album'') is found in the tropical dry deciduous forests of India, the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and Arnhem Land of northern Australia. It is the only species of the genus found on the Asian mainland, and may have been introduced to India from the Less ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acacia Koaia
''Acacia koaia'', known as ''koaia'' or ''koaie'' in Hawaiian, is a species of acacia that is endemic to Hawaii. It is closely related to ''koa'' (''Acacia koa''), and is sometimes considered to be the same species. Description ''Acacia koaia'' is usually distinguished by growing as a short (rarely more than ), broad, gnarled tree; having the seeds longitudinally arranged in the pod; shorter, straighter phyllodes; and much denser wood. A population on the northern coast of Kauai may be intermediate, but the relationships have not been worked out. ''Koaia'' wood is claimed to be very different from that of ''koa'', and this may be the best character to separate them. Distribution ''Acacia koaia'', ''Koaia'', is highly adapted to dry habitats, and is capable of forming dense forests in areas with very little rainfall. It was formerly found widely in dry forests on all of the main islands. Associated plants include ''uluhe'' (''Dicranopteris linearis''), ''hala'' (''Pandanu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Palila
The palila (''Loxioides bailleui'') is a critically endangered finch-billed species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has a golden-yellow head and breast, with a light belly, gray back, and greenish wings and tail. The bird has a close ecological relationship with the '' māmane'' tree (''Sophora chrysophylla''), and became endangered due to destruction of the trees and accompanying dry forests. The first specimen of the palila was collected in 1876 at the Greenwell Ranch on the Big Island by Pierre Étienne Théodore Ballieu (1828–1885), who was French consul in Hawai‘i from 1869 to 1878. The type specimen (No. 1876-645) is housed at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Taxonomy The Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanididae) are sometimes included in the true finch family (Fringillidae). Oustalet scientifically described the ''palila'' in 1877. Named ''Loxioides bailleui'' by him, it was for some time united with several other "parrot-billed" Hawaiian honeycreeper spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gouania
''Gouania'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae. The 50 to 70 species it contains are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Africa, Madagascar, the Indian Ocean islands, southern Asia, the Americas and Hawaii. They are shrubs or lianas. A revision of the species in Madagascar and the other western Indian Ocean islands is in preparation, where the genus has an important centre of diversity. The work will recognise several new species. Selected species *'' Gouania corylifolia'' Raddi (Brazil) *'' Gouania hillebrandii'' Oliv. ex Hillebr. (Hawaii) *'' Gouania leptostachya'' DC. (South Asia, Southeast Asia) *'' Gouania longispicata'' (Central Africa) *''Gouania lupuloides'' ( L.) Urb. – chewstick or toothbrush tree (Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, northern South America) *'' Gouania meyenii'' Steud. – smoothfruit chewstick (Hawaii) *'' Gouania napalensis'' Wall. (India, Nepal) *'' Gouania polygama'' ( Jacq.) Urb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caesalpinia Kavaiensis
''Mezoneuron kavaiense'' is a rare shrub or small tree in the genus '' Mezoneuron'' (pea family, Fabaceae), that is endemic to Hawaii. Common names include ''Uhiuhi'' ( the Big Island and Kauai), ''Kāwau'' (Maui), and ''Kea'' (Maui). It is threatened by invasive species, particularly feral ungulates. Description ''M. kavaiense'' is a shrub or small tree that reaches a height of . The bark is dark grey and made up of rectangular or oblong platelets. The pinnate leaves are composed of 4 to 8 leaflets, each around in length. The bisexual flowers have pink to rose sepals and red anthers. They form on pink to red terminal racemes in length. The flat, thin seed pods are long, wide, and contain 2 to 4 oval-shaped seeds. Blooming takes place from December to March. Habitat ''Uhiuhi'' inhabits dry, coastal mesic, and mixed mesic forests at elevations of . Associated plants include ''lama'' (''Diospyros sandwicensis''), ''aalii'' (''Dodonaea viscosa''), and ''alahee'' (''Ps ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kokia Cookei
''Kokia cookei'' is a small, deciduous tree commonly known as the kokio, Molokai treecotton, Cooke's kokio, or Molokai kokio. Distribution This species is only known to have existed in the lowlands of western Molokai island of the Hawaiian Islands. Presumably, its native habitat was lowland dry forests on the leeward western end of the island. This was all but cut down by Polynesian settlers, around the year 1000 CE, to make room for agriculture. It seems to have been noted by these settlers, as suggested by the native name ''hau heleula'' ("entirely red '' hau''").''Kokia cookei'' . Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) (2002). Retrieved 21 April 2011. The three trees initially found grew near Mahana, northeast of Puu Nana. at ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erythrina Sandwicensis
Wiliwili (''Erythrina sandwicensis''), is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the only species of ''Erythrina'' that naturally occurs there. It is typically found in Hawaiian tropical dry forests on leeward island slopes up to an elevation of . ''Wiliwili'' means "repeatedly twisted" in the Hawaiian language and refers to the seedpods, which dehisce, or twist open, to reveal the seeds. Description ''Wiliwili'' trees grow to a height of with a gnarled and stout trunk that reaches in diameter. The bark is smooth, slightly fissured, and covered in gray or black spines up to in length. The bark on the main trunk of mature trees has a distinct orange cast, which is caused by a terrestrial alga. The ''wiliwili'' is summer (dry season) drought deciduous. The dry season usually begins in late April or in May, and trees in the wild typically lose all of their leaves before they bloom. Trees in cultivation may retain much of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nestegis Sandwicensis
''Nestegis sandwicensis'', commonly known as Hawai'i olive or ''olopua'', is a species of flowering tree in the olive family, Oleaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is found on all major islands at elevations of in coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests, and, especially, dry forests. It usually reaches a height of with a trunk diameter of , but may reach in height with a trunk diameter of . Uses Native Hawaiians used the hard wood of ''olopua'' to make ''au koi'' (adze handles), ''apuapu'' (rasps for making fish hooks), ''ōō'' (digging sticks), ''lāau melomelo'' (fishing lures), ''pou'' (house posts), ''pāhoa'' (daggers), ''pīkoi'' (tripping weapons similar to a rope dart), and spears. Because the wood burned well even if green, it was used as ''wahie'' (firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diospyros Sandwicensis
''Diospyros sandwicensis'' is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It belongs to the same genus as both persimmons and ebony. Its common name, ''lama'', also means enlightenment in Hawaiian. ''Lama'' is a small to medium-sized tree, with a height of and a trunk diameter of . It can be found in dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at elevations of on all major islands. ''Lama'' and ''olopua'' ('' Nestegis sandwicensis'') are dominant species in lowland dry forests on the islands of Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Lānai. Uses The sapwood of ''lama'' is very white and forms a wide band inside the trunk. The heartwood is reddish-brown, fine-textured, straight-grained, and extremely hard. Native Hawaiians made ''aukā'' (upright supports) out of ''lama'' wood, which were used in ''hīnai'' (basket fish trap) construction. The white sapwood represented enlightenment, and thus had many religious uses. The ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pritchardia
The genus ''Pritchardia'' (family Arecaceae) consists of between 24 and 40 species of fan palms (subfamily Coryphoideae) found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and most diversely in Hawaii. The generic name honors William Thomas Pritchard (1829-1907), a British consul at Fiji. Description These palms vary in height, ranging from . The leaves are fan-shaped (''costapalmate'') and the trunk columnar, naked, smooth or fibrous, longitudinally grooved, and obscurely ringed by leaf scars. The flowers and subsequent fruit are borne in a terminal cluster with simple or compound branches of an arcuate or pendulous inflorescence that (in some species) is longer than the leaves. Species There are 29 known species, of which 19 are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, with the remainder on other island groups. * '' Pritchardia affinis'' Becc. – Hawaii Pritchardia (Island of Hawaii) * '' Pritchardia arecina'' Becc. – Maui Pritchardia (Maui, Hawaii ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sophora Chrysophylla
''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of in tree form. Yellow flowers are produced in winter and spring. Biology ''S. chrysophylla'' has ridged golden brown branches. The tree has pinnately compound leaves with 6 to 10 pairs of leaflets. Each leaflet is long and wide. Leaves are smooth, or with gray or yellow hairs on the underside. The specific name is derived from the Greek words χρυσός (''chrysós''), meaning "gold," and φυλλον (''phyllos''), meaning "leaf." Flowers are found at the bases of leaves or the ends of branches in clusters – that is, they occur in axillary or terminal racemes. The corolla is yellow. The petal size ranges from long, and wide. The tree blooms in winter and spring. The height of the flowering season is in mid-spring. ''Mā ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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