Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis

(Benl) T.Koyama (1989)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Poales Family: Cyperaceae Genus: Gahnia

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Tall perennials with woody, erect to spreading rhizomes.

Stems: culms 120–160 cm tall, 5–10 mm in diameter in lower part, terete (cylindrical), smooth, 4–6–nodose between the base and and the inflorescence.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Leaves numerous, basal and cauline. Blades coriaceous, linear, slightly shorter than or longer than the culm, 10–15 mm wide. Apex gradually attenuate and long caudate-acuminate. Margins involute, serrulate–scabrous. Veins parallel. Sheathing; basal sheaths dark purplish brown or dusky brown, the cauline sheaths green, tinged with purplish brown toward base. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence a large, effuse, decompound panicle 30–90 cm long, 5–15 cm wide, densely branched, bearing numerous spikelets, sometimes slightly interrupted in lower part, leafy bracts narrowly linear or the upper ones subsetaceous, usually slightly shorter than the inflorescence, the sheathing base dark purplish brown, 2–5 cm long, peduncles 2– 4 together, branched, bracteoles black, spathaceous; spikelets solitary, obovoid in fruit, 3–3.5 mm long, ca. 1.2–1.5 mm wide, 1–flowered; glumes 4–5, the lower 1–2 dark brown, membranous, ovate, 2.5–3 mm long, acuminate and short-awned at apex, equaling to slightly longer than the 3 upper glumes, 1–nerved, the 3 upper glumes blackish brown, ovate, obtuse or mucronate, ca. 2 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or staminate. Calyx (sepals) absent. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 3. filaments ca. 10 mm or more long strongly flexuous or crisped. Ovary superior; styles elongate, the base conical–subulate, persistent at achene apex.

Fruit: Achenes yellowish brown; eventually turning blackish brown; glossy; obovoid–ellipsoid; trigonous; 1.7–2.6 mm long; 1–1.5 mm wide. Seeds 1; seed coat thin; free from pericarp; embryo basal; endosperm abundant.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in open sites in wet forest and margins of bogs; vicinity of Alaka'i Swamp to Mount Wai'ale'ale.

Elevation Range: 610–1,590 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Kaua'i Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Bishop Mus. Occas. Pap. 29: 126 (1989)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1410 (K)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 8871 Kauai BISH 1911-10-01
2 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details swampy forest Preserved_Specimen Cranwell, L.M. 2892 Kauai BISH 1938-08-13
3 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 8871 Kauai BISH 1911-10-01
4 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. 406 Kauai BISH 1987-06-17
5 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 9020 Kauai BISH 1911-10-01
6 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Woolford, H.A. 407 Kauai BISH 1956-12-28
7 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Stone, B.C. 1526 Kauai BISH 1956-12-27
8 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details open, swampy rain forest Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 27243 Kauai BISH 1960-11-26
9 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Kauai BISH 1932-07-14
10 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details rain forest Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 23940 Kauai BISH 1955-09-18
11 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details rain forest clearing Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 27246 Kauai BISH 1960-11-16
12 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details forested Preserved_Specimen 2 m sedge Bryan Jr., E.H. 1472 Kauai BISH 1940-08-02
13 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details sloping bog Preserved_Specimen 1.5 m tall including inflorescence Wagner, W.L. 6283 Kauai BISH 1989-11-21
14 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details swampy forest Preserved_Specimen Cranwell, L.M. 2892 Kauai BISH 1938-08-13
15 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Wet Forest Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. 22951 Kauai BISH 1947-12-22
16 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Moist Metrosideros woods Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. 19976 Kauai BISH 1939-02-10
17 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details open, shrubby Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 21652 Kauai BISH 1952-01-19
18 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Metrosideros lowland wet forest bordered by steep slopes od Dicranopteris and Diplopterygium matting freens, 90% closed canopy with Antidesma platyphyllum var. hillebrandii, Syzygium sandwicensis, Cheirodendron forbesii, Ilex anomala, Dubautia knudsenii, Psychotria mariniana, Kadua affinis, Melicope wawraeana, Melicope feddei Preserved_Specimen Sedge, on windswept edge of open ridge, with fruit, occasional Wood, K.R. 18523 Kauai BISH 2020-08-27
19 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 9020 Kauai BISH 1911-10-01
20 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Takeuchi, W.N. 65 Kauai BISH 1982-10-30
21 Gahnia vitiensis subsp. kauaiensis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Nagata, K.M. 2079 Kauai BISH 1980-07-31