''Lebronnecia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family

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 ...

. The sole species is ''Lebronnecia kokioides'', a very rare flowering shrub.

Distribution

Only a few hundred specimens are known to exist. The plant was first described in 1966, after a single tree with a few seedlings was discovered on Tahuata, an island in the Marquesas group of

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

that had been severely deforested by livestock: cattle, goats, horses, and pigs. Further specimens were later found on the nearby island of

Mohotani Mohotani (sometimes spelt ''Moho Tani''; also called ''Molopu'' or ''Motane'') is an uninhabited island southeast of Hiva Oa and east of Tahuata in the southern Marquesas Islands. It has an area of 15 km2. Much of the island's sparse vegetat ...

, uninhabited by humans, but similarly deforested by sheep, who seem to avoid eating the plant. It is now being cultivated in

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 ...

References

Gossypieae Monotypic Malvales genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Malvaceae genera {{Gossypieae-stub