''Kokia drynarioides'', commonly known as Hawaiian tree cotton, is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...
, that 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 ...
. It inhabits dry forests at elevations of . Associated plants include āheahea (''
Chenopodium oahuense
''Chenopodium oahuense'' is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names ''aweoweo'', ''alaweo'', ''alaweo huna'', ''aheahea'', ''ahea'', ''ahewahewa'', and ''kahaihai''.Dodonaea viscosa''), hala pepe ('' Pleomele hawaiiensis''),
wiliwili
Wiliwili (''Erythrina sandwicensis''), is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the only species of '' Erythrina'' that naturally occurs there. It is typically found in Hawaiian tropical d ...
Myrsine lanaiensis
''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It con ...
Nototrichium sandwicense
''Nototrichium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae. All members of the genus are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. They are known in Hawaiian as ''kuluī''.
Species
*''Nototrichium divaricatum'' Lorence (Kauai)
*'' Noto ...
Reynoldsia sandwicensis
''Polyscias sandwicensis'', known as the 'ohe makai or ''Ohe kukuluāeo'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is a tree, reaching a height of high with a trunk diameter of . It ca ...
''), māmane (''
Sophora chrysophylla
''Sophora chrysophylla'', known as ''māmane'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of ...
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and competition with invasive species, such as fountain grass (''
Pennisetum setaceum
''Cenchrus setaceus'', commonly known as crimson fountaingrass, is a C4 perennial bunch grass that is native to open, scrubby habitats in East Africa, tropical Africa, the Middle East and south-western Asia. It has been introduced to many part ...