''Nototrichium divaricatum'', also known as Na Pali rockwort or ''kuluī'' ( Hawaiian), is a rare perennial shrub in the

pigweed Pigweed can mean any of a number of weedy plants which may be used as pig fodder: * ''Amaranthus'' species ** '' Amaranthus albus'', white pigweed, tumble pigweed ** ''Amaranthus blitoides'', prostrate pigweed ** ''Amaranthus californicus'', Calif ...

family,

Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it ...

, 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 ...

to the island of

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 ...

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 can be found in the northwestern part of the island in dry to moist shrublands, where it grows on north-facing cliffs and ridges. ''Nototrichium divaricatum'' are densely branching shrubs 0.3–2 meters tall, with most parts covered with silvery-white hairs. Leaves are oppositely arranged, with leaf blades 3–7.5 cm long and 1–4.6 cm wide.

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 ...

s bear several spikes, and are terminal and usually solitary, rarely 2 or 3 together, and compoundly branched. Each spike bears 8–30 small flowers. This species was first described in 1996. There are possibly fewer than 3,000 ''N. divaricatum'' plants in existence.

References

Amaranthaceae Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Kauai Plants described in 1996 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Amaranthaceae-stub