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Schiedea lychnoides

Hillebr. (1888)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-CoreEudicot Order: Caryophyllales Family: Caryophyllaceae Genus: Schiedea

kuawāwaenohu [kuawawaenohu]

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Weakly climbing or sprawling vines.

Stems: Stems often swollen at the nodes, terete (cylindrical), 4–angled or –ridged, primary stems to 30 dm long, with short lateral branches.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate to elliptic, 4.5–6.5 cm long, 1.8–3.8 cm wide. Apex mucronate. Base leaf bases often connate around the stem. Surfaces sparsely puberulent, the hairs erect to somewhat antrorsely appressed, translucent with a purple tinge, those of the principal veins on Lower surfaces side and margin coarser and more appressed, 0.25-0.5 mm long; blades thin and membranous, dark green with a purple tinge. Margins inconspicuously serrulate, at least in the distal half. (3)5 principal veins, the outer pair of veins usually only weakly developed. Petioles 0.2–0.7 cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence pseudoaxillary, with usually 3–17(–21) flowers, all parts densely glandular–puberulent throughout, the hairs translucent with a purple tinge, 0.25–0.5 mm long; bracts 14–24 mm long, foliaceous; peduncles 18–25 mm long, the internodes of the lateral inflorescence branches 2–14 mm long; pedicels thinner, 7–18 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect),apparently adapted for bird pollination, pendent. Calyx of 5 sepals, 9–12 mm long, 5–6.5 mm wide, enlarging to 12–18 mm long and 7–9 mm wide in fruit, the outer ones larger, rhombic, the inner ones oblong–rhombic, greenish white, thin and membranous, dry at maturity, becoming slightly recurved along the margin of the upper half of the outer pair, especially as fruit develops, apex obtuse and mucronulate, abaxially densely glandular–puberulent throughout, glabrous adaxially. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 10–13; filaments 5.5–6.3 mm long, the antisepalous ones slightly longer to subequal; anthers 0.8–1.3 mm long, pale reddish purple at anthesis, changing to a darker reddish purple. Pollen pale gray. Ovary superior, 1-celled; ovule placentation free-central; styles 8–11, often the number variable on the same plant.

Fruit: Capsules 9–12 mm long; ovoid. Seeds 0.8–1.0 mm long; black; persistent on placenta; released as the capsule gradually rots; the margins of the cells of the seed coat slightly convex; the raised cells forming low transverse ridges across the seed surface; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy: 2n = possibly 60*

Habitat: In wet forest; often along streams; trailing on the ground or sprawling over other vegetation; in forests dominated by <i>Metrosideros polymorpha</i> Gaudich. and <i>Cheirodendron spp.</i> with understory commonly of <i>Broussaisia arguta</i> Gaudich. <i>Hedyotis; Vaccinium; Myrsine; Labordia; Cyanea; Melicope</i>; and pteridophytes such as <i>Athyrium microphyllum</i> (Sm.) Alston; <i>Dicranopteris linearis</i> (Burm. f.) Underw. <i>Dryopteris glabra</i> (Brack.) Kuntze; <i>Nephrolepis cordifolia</i> (L.) C. Presl; and <i>Sticherus owhyhensis</i> (Hook.) Ching.

Elevation Range: 1090–1320 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Kaua'i Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Mercedez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • This species appears to be very rare. It is closely related to Alsinidendron viscosum, which differs primarily only in having narrower leaves and fewer flowers and capsule valves. All of the collections of A. lychnoides are fruiting specimens, whereas the 4 examined af A. viscosum are primarily flowering with a few partially mature capsules.

Bibliography

Name Published In: Fl. Hawaiian Isl.: 36 (1888)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:500 (K [as Alsinidendron lychnoides]); Wagner et al. 2005:51 (NOM:Syn. A. lychnoides = Schiedea lychnoides, KEY, DESCR)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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