''Geranium kauaiense'' is a rare species of
geranium known by the common name Kauai geranium. 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 else ...
to
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 the island of
Kauai.
[''Geranium kauaiense''.]
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Nat ...
. It was federally listed as an
endangered species in 2010.
[USFWS]
Determination of Endangered Status for 48 Species on Kauai and Designation of Critical Habitat; Final Rule.
''Federal Register'' April 13, 2010. Like other Hawaiian geraniums, this plant is known as ''hinahina'' and ''nohoanu''.
[''Geranium''.]
Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands.
This plant is a
subshrub with stems up to a meter long. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
is a
cyme of 3 or 4 flowers with purple-striped white petals.
[
This plant grows in the wet forests and bogs of Alakai Wilderness Preserve on Kauai, where there are about 140 plants remaining.][ There are also three plants at the summit of ]Mount Waialeale
Mount Waialeale is a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Its name literally means "rippling water" or "overflowing water"
The mountain, at an elevation of , averages more than of rain ...
, one of the rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
iest spots on earth.[
The main threat to this species is the degradation of its habitat ]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 ...
s, which may also feed on the plant. Fence
A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length.
...
s have been erected around patches of bog habitat to protect it from the pigs. Non-native species of plants also have invaded the habitat, including '' Juncus planifolius'' and '' Andropogon virginicus''.[
]
References
kauaiense
Endemic flora of Hawaii
Plants described in 1984
{{Geraniaceae-stub