''Haplostachys haplostachya'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names ''honohono'' or Hawaiian mint. 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 now limited to the island of

and has been extirpated from

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 ...

and

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 ...

.''Haplostachys haplostachya''.

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 Natu ...

. It has been on the United States' endangered species list since 1979.USFWS
Determination that three Hawaiian plants are endangered species.
''Federal Register'' October 30, 1979. ''Haplostachys haplostachya'' is probably the only one of the five ''Haplostachya'' species that is not now

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

, so it may be the only member of a monotypic genus.Morden C. W. and W. Loeffler. (1999). Fragmentation and genetic differentiation among subpopulations of the endangered Hawaiian mint ''Haplostachys haplostachya'' (Lamiaceae). ''Molecular Ecology'' 8 617-25. There are now fewer than 20,000 individual plants in scattered fragmented populations remaining at Kipukakalawamauna''Haplostachys haplostachya''.
Center for Plant Conservation.Barboza, R

''

Honolulu Star-Bulletin The ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii (after the ''Honolulu Advertiser''). ...

'' October 8, 2004. on the Pohakuloa Plateau, the site of the Pohakuloa Training Area. At one time, the plant was not uncommon on the slopes of Mauna Loa and

Mauna Kea Mauna Kea ( or ; ; abbreviation for ''Mauna a Wākea''); is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Its peak is above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii and second-highest peak of an island on Earth. The peak is ...

. Destruction of the habitat by feral

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, cam ...

s, military construction, consequences of military activity such as dust and fires, introduced plant species, and

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

have fragmented the plant's distribution and reduced it to its present low numbers. This fragmentation has also led to

physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...

and

reproductive isolation The mechanisms of reproductive isolation are a collection of evolutionary mechanisms, behaviors and physiological processes critical for speciation. They prevent members of different species from producing offspring, or ensure that any offspring ...

in the smaller, more isolated populations, causing a genetic bottleneck. This is a perennial shrub which grows to 1.5 meters tall. The square stems are lined with fleshy, woolly, somewhat heart-shaped leaves. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a showy

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

of fragrant, woolly white flowers each up to 2 centimeters long. The herbage lacks the minty taste and scent of other mints. Though there are few wild specimens left, the honohono is cultivated and kept as a garden plant in Hawaii.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
Lamiaceae Endemic flora of Hawaii Plants described in 1973 {{Lamiaceae-stub