Kingdom Plantae Family Campanulaceae Scientific name Cyanea kuhihewa | Order Asterales Genus Cyanea Rank Species | |
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Cyanea kuhihewa is a rare and possibly extinct species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Limahuli Valley cyanea. It is endemic to Kauai, where the last individuals in the only known population have died. Like other Cyanea it is known as haha in Hawaiian.
This Hawaiian lobelioid is a "treelet" growing 30 centimeters to over 2 meters in height. The narrow linear leaves are up to 38 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. The inflorescence is a raceme of purple-pink flowers.
When the plant was discovered it was initially thought to be Cyanea linearifolia, an extinct species, and the discovery was broadcast and celebrated. Upon closer examination the plant proved to be quite different from C. linearifolia and was determined to be a new species. It was given the name Cyanea kuhihewa in 1996. The species name kuhihewa is a Hawaiian verb that means "to make an error of judgment, to mistake someone for someone else, to not recognize someone when you first see him".
The type specimen of the plant was collected in 1991, and the following year the habitat was seriously damaged by Hurricane Iniki. Since then the single population dwindled and disappeared. As of 2006 the plant is considered "possibly extinct" in the wild.
The plant did exist in a single cultivated collection in Cincinnati, but any specimens have since died. Because there is appropriate but unsurveyed habitat remaining in the general area of the last known population it is possible the plant still exists, so it was federally listed as an endangered species in 2010.