''Dubautia waialealae'' is a rare 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 ...

known by the common name Wai'ale'ale dubautia. Like other ''Dubautia'' this plant is called ''na`ena`e''.USFWS
Species Reports: Listed Plants.
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Distribution and habitat

''Dubautia waialealae'' 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 else ...

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 state ...

, where it is known only from Mount Waiʻaleʻale on Kauai. One individual was seen outside the range, about 14 kilometers away, but this plant is now dead. A recent count estimates a total population of about 3000 plants. The plant grows in boggy wet forest habitat on the mountain summit that is considered one of the rainiest spots on earth, if not the rainiest.Tizon, T. A
He's All Wet and Glad of It.
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' April 20, 2006. It grows in habitat around the famous Mount Waiʻaleʻale

rain gauge A rain gauge (also known as udometer, pluvia metior, pluviometer, ombrometer, and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a predefined area, over a period o ...

, which measures 460 inches (38.3 feet)Global Extremes.
NOAA.Leone, D

'' Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' May 27, 2002. of rain in an average year, its distribution extending a short way down the slopes of the mountain.

Description

''Dubautia waialealae'', a distinctive 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. F ...

, takes the form of a dense, rounded, cushionlike clump 10 to 50 centimeters tall. The leaves are borne in tightly packed whorls. Yellow flowers are borne in heads.''Dubautia waialealae''.
The Nature Conservancy. Blooming occurs in August through November.Carr, G. D

Hawaiian Silverswords.

Conservation

Threats to this rare localized endemic plant include damage to the habitat by

feral pig The feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar-pig hybrids. Definition A feral ...

feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra aegagrus hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of goats, all of which stem from the wild goat ...

s, and

invasive plant species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

such as ''

Juncus ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfic ...

planifolius'' and '' Andropogon virginicus''. It was federally listed as an endangered species 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.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Dubautia waialealae'' (Wai'ale'ale dubautia)
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3715744 waialealae Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Kauai