''Dubautia kenwoodii'', the Kalalau rim dubautia, is an "extremely rare"''Dubautia kenwoodii''.
The Nature Conservancy. species of flowering plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It 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 ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

where it is known only from the island of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

. Only one plant has ever been seen: the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

. A part of this plant was collected in 1991 and the individual was described as a new species in 1998.Carr, G. D. (1998)
Another New Species of Dubautia (Asteraceae-Madiinae) from Kaua'i, Hawaiian Islands
''Novon'' 8:1 8-11. It was 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 in 2010.USFWS
Determination of endangered status for 48 species on Kauai and designation of critical habitat; Final rule.
''Federal Register'' April 13, 2010. pg 18965. Like other ''Dubautia'' this plant is known as ''na`ena`e''.USFWS
Species Reports: Listed Plants.
/ref> This member of the

silversword alliance The silversword alliance, also known as the tarweeds, refers to an adaptive radiation of around 30 species in the composite or sunflower family, Asteraceae. The group is endemic to Hawaii, and is derived from a single immigrant to the islands. Fo ...

was discovered growing on a cliff along the Kalalau Rim adjacent to the

Kalalau Valley The Kalalau Valley is located on the northwest side of the island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii. The valley is located in the Nā Pali Coast State Park and houses the Kalalau Beach. The Nā Pali Coast is rugged and is inaccessible to aut ...

on Kauai. The single plant was examined and collected by the

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

Ken Wood, who rappelled down the cliff to view it. It was later described to science and named for him.Letman, J
You can call me Jak.
National Tropical Botanical Garden. After

Hurricane Iniki Hurricane Iniki ( ; Hawaiian: ''iniki'' meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–1995 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Centr ...

in 1992 this specimen was absent and feared

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

. Biologists are hopeful that more individuals of this "exceedingly rare" and "critically endangered" plant will be located as more of Kauai is surveyed. The only known specimen of the plant was described as a

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

half a meter tall with oppositely arranged leaves up to 12 centimeters long by 2 wide. The blades are shiny on top and more pale on the undersides. The

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

contain several flowers which turn "rusty yellow in age".

References

kenwoodii Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Kauai Plants described in 1998 {{Asteroideae-stub