''Phyllostegia glabra'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name smooth phyllostegia. 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 ...

. Known varieties include ''Phyllostegia glabra'' var. ''glabra'' and ''P. g.'' var. ''lanaiensis'', the latter being a perennial herb with dentate leaves, often reddish or red-veined, and white flowers, occasionally tinged with purple, distinguished from ''P. g.'' var. ''glabra'' by its shorter calyx and narrower leaves. NatureServe lists ''P. g.'' var. ''glabra'' as vulnerable and ''P. g.'' var. ''lanaiensis'' as possibly

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 ...

. In September 1991, the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

(FWS) listed ''Phyllostegia glabra'' var. ''lanaiensis'' as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

, stating that it had not been seen since a single plant was sighted on

Lanai Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...

in the 1980s. The variety may still exist on the island, perhaps in rugged habitat that has not been surveyed recently. In September 2021, FWS stated that the last confirmed sighting of ''P. g.'' var. ''lanaiensis'' occurred in 1914 and proposed that the variety be declared extinct and stricken off the endangered species list. During the public comment period, surveys revealed new habitat that could support the species and the proposal was withdrawn.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
glabra Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Lanai {{Lamiaceae-stub