''Schiedea sarmentosa'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

known by the common name cliff schiedea. 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

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

.''Schiedea sarmentosa''.
The Nature Conservancy. It is threatened by the degradation and destruction of its habitat. 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

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

with many branches reaching 30 to 45 centimeters tall. It has very narrow, threadlike leaves up to 4.5 centimeters long oppositely arranged on the branches. The plant produces many

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 of flowers with green

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and no petals.USFWS
Determination of Endangered Status for Three Plant Species (''Cyanea dunbarii'', ''Lysimachia maxima'', and ''Schiedea sarmentosa'') from the Island of Molokai, Hawaii.
''Federal Register'' October 10, 1996. It grows in dry and moist forest habitat, sometimes on cliff faces. Other plants in the habitat include ''

Schiedea lydgatei ''Schiedea lydgatei'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name Kamalo Gulch schiedea and Pacific schiedea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Molokai.

'' (Lydgate's schiedea), ''

Styphelia tameiameiae ''Leptecophylla tameiameiae'', known as or in the Hawaiian language, is a species of flowering plant that is native to the Hawaiian and Marquesas Islands. The specific epithet honors King Kamehameha I, who formed the Kingdom of Hawaii. It ...

'' (pukiawe), '' Chenopodium oahuensis'' (’aheahea), ''

Alyxia oliviformis ''Alyxia stellata'', known as ''maile'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family, ''Apocynaceae'', that is native to Hawaii. It grows as either a twining liana, scandent shrub, or small erect shrub, and is one of the ...

'' (maile), '' Dracaena'' sp. (hala pepe), and ''

Chamaesyce ''Chamaesyce'' is a genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that ''Chamaesyce'' is deeply nested within the broader ''Euphorbia''. Specifically, ''Chamaesyce'' is very closely related to plants like '' ...

'' sp. (’akoko). There are two populations of this plant for a total of not more than 1000 individuals.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7431263 sarmentosa Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Molokai Plants described in 1946