''Phyllostegia hirsuta'' is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Molokai phyllostegia and hairy 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 ...

, where it is known only from the island of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

.''Phyllostegia hirsuta''.
The Nature Conservancy. It is a federally listed

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 ...

of the United States. This plant is a sub

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

with hairy, glandular, oval-shaped leaves up to 30 centimeters long by 18 wide. The flower is white with purple tinting on its upper lip.USFWS
Determination of Endangered Status for Twenty-five Plant Species From the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.
''Federal Register'' October 10, 1996. The plant occurs in the Waianae and Koʻolau Mountains of Oahu. There are nine populations totalling about 160 mature plants. In areas where the plant has apparently been extirpated, it may reappear in the future as plants sprout from the underground

soil seed bank The soil seed bank is the natural storage of seeds, often dormant, within the soil of most ecosystems. The study of soil seed banks started in 1859 when Charles Darwin observed the emergence of seedlings using soil samples from the bottom of a lak ...

. Threats to the species include feral pigs and

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

of plants. Some populations of the plant are or may soon be under the protection of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, which operates in the plant's habitat.USFWS
''Phyllostegia hirsuta'' Five-year Review.
January 2008.

References

hirsuta Endemic flora of Hawaii Taxa named by George Bentham {{Lamiaceae-stub