Kanaloa Lorence & K.R. Wood, Novon 4(2): 137. 1994.

Figs 144, 145, 146, 152

Type.

Kanaloa kahoolawensis Lorence & K.R. Wood

Description.

Unarmed shrub, 0.75-1 m, branches dense, decumbent (Fig. 144E), 0.75-1.5 m long, new growth densely brown hirtellous-villosulous; brachyblasts absent. Stipules free, ovate, villosulous. Leaves bipinnate, a sessile elliptical gland at point of insertion of pinnae (Fig. 145D), pinnae one pair per leaf, leaflets 3 per pinna, a terminal pair and a single proximal leaflet on the abaxial side, leaflets nearly sessile, ovate to elliptic, asymmetrical, venation reticulate, margin entire. Inflorescence a globose capitulum (Fig. 145D), 7.0-8.5 mm in diameter, lacking an involucel of united bracts on peduncle, composed of variable numbers of functionally staminate and hermaphrodite flowers, some inflorescences mostly unisexual; sterile flowers bearing showy staminodia absent; bracteoles subtending each flower persistent, deltate or peltate. Flowers 20-54 per inflorescence; sepals valvate in bud, connate, the calyx obconic, 5-lobed, pale green, pubescent; petals valvate in bud, 5, free, oblanceolate, inflexed, extremely hirtellous apically, pale green; stamens 10, filaments white, free, anthers dorsifixed, glabrous and eglandular; pollen in spheroidal tricolporate monads, exine rugulate; ovary short, squat, flask-shaped, the stigma in hermaphrodite flowers wide funnelform, anvil-shaped, flanged, peltate. Fruits stipitate, up to 4 per inflorescence, monospermous, inertly dehiscent along both margins, obovate or subcircular, plano-compressed, valves coriaceous, 2.4-3.2 × 2-2.3 cm (Fig. 146H, I). Seed cordiform (Fig. 146I), pleurogram present.

Chromosome number.

2 n = 28 (Lorence and Wood 1994).

Included species and geographic distribution.

Monospecific ( K. kahoolawensis), narrowly restricted to the island of Kaho’olawe, Hawaii (Fig. 152). When discovered, known from just two plants on a sea stack, now thought to be extinct in the wild and the focus of ex-situ conservation efforts. It is possible that the range previously included other Hawaiian islands in that fossilised pollen from plants likely to be of Kanaloa has been found in core samples taken from sinkholes in O‘ahu’s 'Ewa Plain, Maui, and Kaua‘i’s Makauwahi Cave.

Ecology.

Steep rocky cliffs and screes derived from basaltic lava flows. Seed dispersal passive.

Etymology.

Kanaloa is the name of a Hawaiian deity who according to legend used the island of Kaho’olawe to rest and recoup his energies. According to Lorence and Wood (1994), Kanaloa means, "secure, firm, immovable, established, unconquerable..... attributes [which] are certainly essential for this plant to have survived in spite of the severe degradation of the island", and which will be required more than ever now, given that the genus is likely extinct in the wild and the focus of ex-situ conservation.

Human uses.

Unknown.

Notes.

The affinities of Kanaloa have been in doubt due to lack of definitive support in previous phylogenetic analyses (Hughes et al. 2003; Luckow et al. 2003, 2005), but recent phylogenomic work (Ringelberg et al. 2022) has demonstrated that Kanaloa is robustly supported as sister to the re-circumscribed Desmanthus (Hughes et al. 2022c). The tergeminate leaves and one-seeded fruits easily distinguish it from its nearest relatives, as does the large peltate stigma, which is reminiscent of the stigma of Mimozyganthus .

Taxonomic references.

Lorence and Wood (1994), including illustration.