''Clermontia montis-loa'', or Mauna Loa clermontia, is a species of

Hawaiian lobelioid The Hawaiian lobelioids are a group of flowering plants in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, subfamily Lobelioideae, all of which are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. This is the largest plant radiation in the Hawaiian Islands, and indeed t ...

endemic to the eastern windward slopes of Mauna Loa on the island of Hawai'i. Like other Clermontia, it is referred to as ʻŌhā wai in Hawaiian.

Description

''Clermontia montis-loa'' grows as a tree or shrub, reaching heights of 2-5m. Leaves are 8-19cm long and 2.2-4.5cm wide, growing in a radial pattern. Flowers are purple-pink with 2-3 per inflorescence, developing into orange fruit 2.5-3cm long.

Distribution & habitat

''Clermontia montis-loa'' grows in native wet rainforests on the windward slopes of Mauna Loa. It inhabits elevations between .

Ecology

While ''C. montis-loa'' primarily grows on the ground (where not severely predated by invasive rats and pigs), it can also grow on other trees as an epiphyte, a trait it shares with several other Clermontia species. Like other Clermontia, ''C. montis-loa'' is adapted to pollination by native Hawaiian honeycreepers (especially curve-billed species such as the 'i'iwi) and honeyeaters. With the dramatic decline in endemic forest bird populations (and the complete extinction of the honeyeaters) over the past two centuries, ''C. montis-loa'' and similar lobelioids are now relying almost solely on non-native birds such as the Warbling white-eye for pollination.Aslan, A., Hart, P., Wu, J., & Aslan, C. E. (2014). ''Evaluating the Qualitative Effectiveness of a Novel Pollinator: a Case Study of Two Endemic Hawaiian Plants. Biotropica, 46(6), 732–739.'' doi:10.1111/btp.12159

References

montis-loa Endemic flora of Hawaii {{Hawaii-stub