''Clermontia oblongifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Oahu clermontia. It is one of several Hawaiian lobelioids in genus ''Clermontia'' that are known as ''oha wai''. This plant is native to three of the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

, where one subspecies is not uncommon but the other two are very rare and endangered. The more common subspecies, ssp. ''oblongifolia'', is

endemic 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 elsew ...

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, where it grows in

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

. The rare subspecies ''mauiensis'' is endemic to

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

, where there is only a single plant remaining in the montane wet forests. It has been extirpated from Lānai. This subspecies is federally listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of the United States.USFWS
US Fish & Wildlife Species Profile: ssp. ''mauiensis''
. The rare subspecies ''brevipes'' is endemic to

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

, where there are fewer than 30 plants remaining. This subspecies is federally listed as an

of the United States.USFWS
US Fish & Wildlife Species Profile: ssp. ''brevipes''
.

References

External links

*
USDA Plants Profile
oblongifolia Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Oahu {{Campanulaceae-stub