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Delissea argutidentata is a rare, critically endangered Hawaiian tree-like lobelioid from the bellflower family, endemic to Hawaiʻi Island and grown mainly in conservation collections. It has a tall, unbranched, palm-like trunk and suits mesic, partly shaded native forest conditions.
Delissea argutidentata is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family, Campanulaceae. It is part of the Hawaiian lobelioid group, which is known for its unique evolutionary radiation throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The species is endemic to Hawaiʻi Island and is considered critically endangered. For many years, Delissea argutidentata was believed to be extinct in the wild, but a small wild population was rediscovered in 2021 in a remote area of Hawai'i Island. Its rediscovery is important because many Hawaiian plants have declined due to habitat loss, invasive species, and changes to native forest ecosystems.
Delissea argutidentata is native to Hawaii and is listed as a Hawaii Island endemic. Its habitat is described as mesic koa forest, and records show an elevation range of about 915-1,585 meters. Historically, the species grew under the shade of large koa trees and along the bottoms and slopes of old volcanic craters. These habitats are important because they provide the shade, moisture, and native forest conditions that many Hawaiian plants need to survive. However, native Hawaiian forests have been strongly affected by invasive plants, grazing animals, habitat disturbance, and other environmental pressures.
Leechleaf Delissea · Kauai delissea · Koolau Range delissea · Leechleaf delissea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Delissea argutidentata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
