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Wikstroemia uva-ursi

A.Gray (1865)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Malvales Family: Thymelaeaceae Genus: Wikstroemia

‘ākia [akia], kauhi

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Densely branching, prostrate or sprawling shrubs up to 1.5 m tall.

Stems: Young branches very densely gray, yellow, or reddish brown appressed pubescent.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades elliptic, ovate to orbicular, or obovate, (0.9–)1.7–3(–5) cm long, (0.5–)1.2–2.8(–3.8) cm wide. Apex rounded to acute. Base cuneate to rounded, sometimes acute, rarely subcordate. Upper surfaces dark to grayish green; lower surfaces lighter, sometimes glaucous; blades thick and firm.Veins glabrous, with scattered hairs, or pilose, petioles glabrous or with scattered hairs. Margins entire. Pinnately veined. Petioles 1–2.5(–4) mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in peduncles 1–6 mm long, hirsute, rachis clavate, conical to cylindrical, sometimes forked, 2–20(–50) mm long, hirsute. Flowers unisexual, on Maui sometimes bisexual (perfect), yellow, glabrous, with scattered hairs, or puberulent; pedicels 0.8–3 mm long, glabrous, with a few hairs, or pilose. Calyx tube of staminate flowers 5.5–9(–11.5) mm long, outer lobes 1.5–4.5 mm long, 1–3.8 mm wide, inner lobes 1.2–4 mm long, 1.2– 3.5 mm wide; Calyx tube of pistillate flowers 3.5–8 mm long, outer lobes 1.5–3.8 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, inner lobes 1.2–3.2mm long, 1.2–3 mm wide; Calyx tube of perfect flowers 5–9 mm long, outer lobes 1.6–4.5 mm long, 1.5–3.7 mm wide, inner lobes 1.3–4 mm long, 1.3–3.5 mm wide. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 8, the lower whorl included, the upper whorl sometimes shortly exserted. Ovary superior, 1-celled; ovules solitary and pendulous.

Fruit: Fruit bright red to dark crimson; ellipsoid; 8–11 mm long; 5–10 mm in diameter. fruit drupaceous. Seeds without endosperm.

Ploidy: var. <i>kauaiensis</i> (2n = 72*); and var. <i>uvaursi</i> [incl. all basionyms besides var. <i>kauaiensis</i>] (2n : 18*)

Habitat: Rare or scattered on dry ridges; open hillsides; ledges; windswept headlands; clay flats; <i>‘a‘ā</i> lava; coastal; and low; dry; open; alien vegetation.

Elevation Range: 3–420(–670) m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

PROPAGATION/CULTIVATION

  • Wikstroemia uva-ursi can be propagated by seed, but in some years few fruits are produced. Culliney and Koebele feel that ripe fruit of Wikstroemia are more often available in the fall and winter. The fruit of Wikstroemia uva-ursi is 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, oval berry ranging in color from bright red to dark crimson. The berry generally contains a single seed.
  • Remove the soft outer pulp from mature fruits by rubbing them against the side of a strainer or sieve under running water. Lilleeng-Rosenberger suggests ripening the fruit in a plastic bag to soften the pulp. After this, the seeds can be removed from the pulp more easily. Rather than removing the pulp, Culliney and Koebele suggest cleaning the seeds by putting them in a solution of 1 part bleach and 9 parts water for 1/2 hour. After the seeds are removed from the bleach solution, they should be soaked in tap water for a day using just enough water to cover the seeds. They report germination times of 1 month or more using this treatment.
  • Other sources recommend soaking the seeds in hot water for 24 hours and indicate that seeds will germinate in 21 days to 3 months. However, Lilleeng-Rosenberger's notes indicate that a batch of seeds which was soaked in cold water for 4 days germinated in 14 days. The germination percentage for this batch of seeds was 79%.
  • Culliney and Koebele suggest sowing the seeds on the top of moistened vermiculite and covering them with a layer of moistened green sphagnum moss. As soon as the seeds begin to germinate, remove most of the moss layer.
  • Other sources recommend using a well drained potting mix such as 2 parts perlite to 1 part sterile potting soil. The seeds should be covered with 1/4 inch of mix and watered daily. (Bornhorst 1996; Culliney 1999; Lilleeng-Rosenberger 1996; Lilleeng-Rosenberger 1998; Mew 1987; NTBG 1994; Rauch 1997; Wagner 1990)
  • Wikstroemia uva-ursi can be grown from cuttings, but they require special treatment. Moriarty reported only 50% rooting percentage for untreated tip cuttings. Rauch suggests that propagation is more successful from nursery-grown plants than from plants in the landscape.
  • Herring found that wounding alone did not increase rooting rates. Matsuda and Criley reported that this percentage could increased to 80 to 100% by wounding and use of rooting hormones. Their work was done with 5 to 6 inch long recently matured tip cuttings. These cuttings were wounded by making 2 or 3 one-quarter inch long incisions in the base of each cutting or by the removal of several lower leaves along with a strip of bark.
  • Liquid indolebutyric acid (IBA) at a rate of 3,000 parts per million (ppm) and solutions of Dip'N Grow and water at ratios of 1 to 9 and 1 to 4 all produced 80 to 100 percent rooting in 6 weeks. Dust or powder formulations of 3,000 ppm IBA such as Hormex No. 3 were not as effective as the liquids. Formulations of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were ineffective on unwounded cuttings.The cuttings were stuck in vermiculite and rooted under an intermittent mist of 6 seconds every 2 minutes.
  • Culliney and Koebele, on the other hand, do not recommend the use of rooting hormones for Wikstroemia cuttings. Their procedure is to remove the lower leaves from 4 to 6 inch long tip cuttings. They recommend against removing any more leaves than necessary or reducing the size of any of the remaining leaves. Each cutting is then inserted into a pot filled with moistened medium consisting of one part vermiculite and one part perlite. The pots are put into a humidity chamber such as a covered aquarium or clear plastic cup with a lid. The humidity chambers must be kept out of direct sunlight to avoid overheating the cuttings. The cuttings should be misted lightly with a spray bottle once a day. (Criley 1998; Criley 1999; Culliney 1999; Matsuda and Criley 1980; Herring 1996; Moriarty 1975; Rauch 1997)
  • Wikstroemia uva-ursi can be propagated by air layering. (Bornhorst 1996) [Data from Herring, E. C., & Criley, R. A. (2003). The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Web Site: Developing a Webbased Information Resource. HortTechnology, 13(3), 545-548. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawnprop/]

Ethnobotanical Images

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Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Only found in cultivation
Kaua'i Endemic
O'ahu Only found in cultivation

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Specimens

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Notes

  • Description digitized by Dylan Charter
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • In his posthumously published paper on Hawaiian Wikstroemia Skottsberg (1972) recognized 2 varieties of Wikstroemia uvaursi: var. kauaiensis (2n = 72*), a spreading, often prostrate shrub, young branches densely reddish brown appressed pubes- cent, stems robust, and leaves up to 4 cm long and 3 cm wide (Kaua'i); and var. uvaursi [incl. all basionyms besides var. kauaiensisl (2n : l8*), a densely branching, sprawling shrub, young branches densely gray to reddish brown or yellow appressed pubescent, branches slender, and leaves up to 5 cm long and 3.8 cm wide (O'ahu, Moloka'i, and Maui). It can be very diffi- cult to distinguish the 2 varieties from one another. Wikstroemia uva-ursi is cultivated as an ornamental plant both in municipal parks such as Ala Moana Park and Kapi'olani Park in Honolulu and in private gardens. The decorative foliage and red fruit make this species a valuable and attractive contribution to gardens.

Bibliography

Name Published In: J. Bot. 3: 304 (1865)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Windward side of northern part of Kalepa Ridge Windward side of northern part of ridge. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Corn, C. s.n. Kauai BISH 7/20/1977
2 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray kauai: lawai valley, near the sea. 4.3.1948 f.fagerlind & c. skottsberg 6476. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN fagerlind, f.; skottsberg, c. 6476 GB 3/4/1948
3 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray w maui, w of honokahau valley, pineapple field #57 Disturbed roadside. With Casuarina. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN annable, c.r. oppenheimer, h. collector number: 3890 Maui BISH 1/14/1999
4 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray on bare embankment, moloaa PRESERVED_SPECIMEN herbst, d.r. collector number: 1072 Oahu BISH 4/21/1968
5 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Lihue District. Kalepa Ridge, Kalepa Forest Reserve Alien dominated Coastal Mesic Forest Eucalyptus spp, Lophostemon confertus, Casuarina equisetifloius, Grevillea robusta, Rhodmyrtus tomentosa, Waltheria indica, Urochloa maxima, Chamaechrista nictitans, Passiflora laurifolia, Psidium cat. In partial shade next to exposed bare dirt area on E rfacing hillside. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Williams, A.M. AMW83 Kauai BISH 11/14/2014
6 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Sand Island, Midway House yard; Vitex rotundifolia PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Starr, F. 080607-06 Midway Atoll BISH 6/7/2008
7 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray sand island, midway house yard; Vitex rotundifolia PRESERVED_SPECIMEN starr, f. starr, k. collector number: 080607-06 Midway Atoll BISH 6/7/2008
8 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray kauai PRESERVED_SPECIMEN e. j. rémy 225 A
9 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray oahu & kauai PRESERVED_SPECIMEN wilkes expedition GH
10 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray lihue. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN charles n. forbes forbes 488k MO 10/4/1916
11 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray pandanus-wälder. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN heinrich wawra wawra von fernsee 1990 MO
12 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray bishop museum between the restaurant and the halau. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN gunnel|bo-hagard peterson gunnel 4723 MO 1/20/1984
13 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray west maui, east of honokowai valley, on grassy pastured plateau. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN otto degener|isa degener|w. fleming degener 25038[a] MO 3/27/1959
14 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray west maui, punalau. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN otto degener|isa degener|w. fleming degener 25032 MO 3/30/1959
15 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray kahle hügel um waihee. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN heinrich wawra wawra von fernsee 1812b NY
16 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray u.s. south pacific exploring expedition 1838-1842. oahu and kauai. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN u.s. expl. exped. u.s. expl. exped. s.n. MO
17 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray "iles sandwich - kauai." PRESERVED_SPECIMEN e.j. rémy rémy 225 MO 1851-08-08
18 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray napiki, w. maui. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN charles n. forbes forbes 81m NY 5/8/1910
19 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray PRESERVED_SPECIMEN e. j. rémy 225 NY
20 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Poipu. NTBG Kauai South Shore Visitors Center Cultivated PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Dustin Wolkis DMW1133 Kauai PTBG 12/20/2016
21 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Maui. W of Honokahau Valley, pineapple field #57 Disturbed roadside PRESERVED_SPECIMEN C. R. Annable 3890 NY 1/14/1999
22 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray maui. w of honokahau valley, pineapple field #57 Disturbed roadside PRESERVED_SPECIMEN c. r. annable 3890 NY 1/14/1999
23 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray valley of lawai stream, ntbg. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN william l. stern 3165 PH 4/15/1974
24 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray In garden bed between NTBG's Papalina house and Papalina Rd. Cultivated. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Susan M. Deans SMD029 Kauai PTBG 2/5/2016
25 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Honolulu, Bishop Museum Campus, native Hawaiian garden. Cultivated. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Barbara Kennedy 2017-7 Oahu PTBG 11/9/2017
26 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Larson's Beach, between Moloaa and Kilauea. Mixed with Osteomeles on slope above beach. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Tim Flynn 1321 Kauai PTBG 10/25/1985
27 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Hulemalu Road west of Nawiliwili, 0.2 miles past Niumalu Road. On bank above road cut. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Tim Flynn 1246 Kauai PTBG 10/3/1985
28 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray maunahui rd. ca 2 miles PRESERVED_SPECIMEN thorne, k. 9215 UCS 5/4/1991
29 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Lawai Valley. National Tropical Botanical Garden. On steep bank at lookout point of Big Valley. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Jamie Cockrell 21 Kauai PTBG 12/3/1987
30 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Around summit. Osteomeles anthyllidifolia, Wikstroemia uva-ursi, Chamaesyce celastroides var. amplectens, and Senna gaudichaudii shrubland. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 11752 Okala Islet PTBG 1/13/2006
31 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray MOLOKAI: Kalaupapa, west seaward side of airstrip in coastal spray zone with sandy flats and dunes, Heliotropium anomalum/Scaevola taccada/Wikstroemia uva-ursi coastal shrub with boulder lichen, with Vitex parviflora, Chamaesyce degeneri, Sesuvium portulacastrum, Fimbristylis cymosa, Sporobolus virginicus, Sida fallax PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 11123 Molokai PTBG 1/27/2005
32 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Huelo Islet, 150 m offshore, 2-3 kilometers east of Kalaupapa; Pritchardia coastal mesic forest PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 8039 Huelo Islet PTBG 11/9/1999
33 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray MOLOKAI: Okala, off-shore islet near Kalaupapa, Osteomeles anthyllidifolia, Wikestroemia uva-ursi, Chamaesyce celastroides var. amplectens, and Senna gaudichaudii shrubland associated with Artemisia australis, Melanthera integrifolia, Bidens molokaiensis, Schiedea globosa, Chenopodium oahuense, Diospyros sandwicensis, Scaevola coriacea, Scaevola taccada, PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 98391 Molokai PTBG 6/7/2002
34 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Huelo Islet, 150 m offshore, 2-3 kilometers east of Kalaupapa; Pritchardia coastal mesic forest PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 8038 Huelo Islet PTBG 11/9/1999
35 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray MOLOKAI: Kalaupapa, west seaward side of airstrip in coastal spray zone with sandy flats and dunes, Heliotropium anomalum/Scaevola taccada/Wikstroemia uva-ursi coastal shrub with boulder lichen, with Vitex parviflora, Chamaesyce degeneri, Sesuvium portulacastrum, Fimbristylis cymosa, Sporobolus virginicus, Sida fallax PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 11124 Molokai PTBG 1/27/2005
36 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Moloaa. On bare embarkment. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Derral Herbst 1072 Kauai PTBG 4/21/1968
37 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Hawaiian Islands; Oahu. Forehills southwest of Kahuku. With Osteomeles, the only native survivor in jungle of shrubby exotics. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN O. Degener; I. Degener c-27801 SFV 10/28/1961
38 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Lawai Valley. National Tropical Botanical Garden. Road from new headquarters (at end of Papalina Road) down into Big Valley, above lookout area. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN David H. Lorence 5728 Kauai PTBG 12/14/1987
39 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Hawaiian Islands; Maui. Pukalani, west of Makawao. Dryish, untouched gulch surrounded by cane fields. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN O. Degener; I. Degener 27520 SFV 7/7/1961
40 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray west Maui Island, between honokohau and mokolea pt. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Vladimir J. Krajina 620414009 UBC 4/14/1962
41 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Maui Island, west, coast at waihee point PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Vladimir J. Krajina 620422007 UBC 4/22/1962
42 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Waialae-Kahala beach. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Gupta, S. 124 Oahu US 3/1/1966
43 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray koloa. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN horace mann|w.t. brigham mann 623 Hawaii US
44 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray W Maui, Lahainaluna, Kuia Ridge. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Pearsall, G. A. 23 Maui US 12/18/1955
45 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray w maui, lahainaluna, kuia ridge. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN g. pearsall 23 Kauai US 12/18/1955
46 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray trockene höhen um waihee. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN heinrich wawra wawra von fernsee 1961 Maui US
47 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray waialae-kahala beach. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN s. gupta 124 Oahu US
48 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray kalepa ridge Windward side of northern part of ridge. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN corn, c. collector number: s.n. Kauai BISH 7/20/1977
49 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray W Maui, W of Honokahau Valley, pineapple field #57 Disturbed roadside. With Casuarina. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Annable, C.R. Oppenheimer, H. Collector Number: 3890 Maui BISH 1/14/1999
50 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray west maui, east of honokowai valley, on grassy pastured plateau. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN otto degener|isa degener|w. fleming degener 25038 WIS 3/27/1959
51 Wikstroemia uva-ursi A.Gray Kalepa ridge Windward side of northern part of ridge. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Corn, C. Collector Number: s.n. Kauai BISH 7/20/1977
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