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Isodendrion pyrifolium

A.Gray (1852)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Malpighiales Family: Violaceae Genus: Isodendrion

aupaka, wahine noho kula

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Branched shrubs ca. 8–20 dm tall.

Stems: Branches pilose at least when young (hairs antrorsely appressed), leafy at apex to ca. 5 cm below, ± glabrate with age.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades elliptic–ovate to elliptic–oblanceolate or occasionally lanceolate, 2.5–6.5 cm long, 0.8–3.2 cm wide. Apex obtuse, ± mucronate. Base rounded to broadly cuneate. Surfaces sparsely to moderately appressed pilose, at least along veins; blade chartaceous. Margins serrulate to subentire; margins ± whitish ciliate. Conspicuously reticulate-veined; upper surface with slightly raised veins, lower surface with raised veins. Petioles 0.5–1 cm long, appressed pilose (hairs antrorse). Stipules slightly asymmetrical, deltate–ovate, rarely narrowly so, 2.8–5 mm long, the raised thickened midrib appressed whitish puberulent, becoming noticeably brownish dry and membranous toward margins.

Flowers: Flowers solitary; peduncles 2–6 mm long, whitish puberulent. Flowers fragrant, bisexual (perfect), axillary, on short pedicels; pedicels 1.5–4 mm long, pedicels whitish puberulent, bracts 2–3 mm long. Calyx of 5 sepals, lanceolate, 3.5–5 mm long, becoming membranous toward the whitish ciliolate margin. Corolla of 5 petals, probably greenish yellow, upper petals 10.5–12.3 mm long, the lobes 3.5–5 mm long, lateral petals 10.5–13 mm long, the lobes 4–4.5 mm long, lower petal 11.5–15 mm long, the lobe 4.5–5.3 mm long. Stamens 5, subequal; filaments 0.5–1.3 mm long; anthers ca. 1.5 mm long, connective of at least abaxial Stamens prolonged into an apiculate appendage. Ovary superior, 3-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation parietal; ovules anatropous; style 1, filiform, sigmoid, apex enlarged and excavated.

Fruit: Capsules ovoid–ellipsoid; 3–valved; ca. 12 mm long. Seeds olive with a dark spot near the middle; ca. 3–3.2 mm long; 1.8–2.2 mm in diameter; with fleshy; oily endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Low elevation; dry sites.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Endemic
Kaua'i Endemic
O'ahu Endemic
Molokai Endemic
Lana'i Endemic
Maui Endemic
Hawai'i Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Ellena Ruiz
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • Formerly occurring in low elevation
  • Last collected in 1870
  • aka Wahine noho kula

Bibliography

Name Published In: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 2: 324 (1852)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1331 (Ni, O, Mo, L, M? [reported by Hillebrand in 1888, but no spms. seen], H); Herbarium Pacificum Staff 1996:7 (REDISCOVERY/H); Nyberg et al. 2023:166/Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:218 (REDISCOVERY/K, O); PEPP 2025/Remy 534 BISH (Ni†, 1855); Hillebrand 1888/PEPP 2025 (Mo†, L†, M†, 1871)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Hillebrand, W.B. Lanai BISH 1870-01-01
2 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Hillebrand, W.B. Lanai BISH 1870-01-01
3 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Hillebrand, W.B. Lanai BISH
4 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details ex protologue: at foot of Hualalai, lava is little decomposed and very arid, hence rocky waste land. Preserved_Specimen from protologue: attenu de 3 a 6 pied, fl. verdatre Rémy, J. 535 Hawaii BISH 1851-01-01
5 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details on 3000-5000 year old a`a lava substrate. Growing with PSYODO, LEULEU, DODVIS, PENSET, SIDFAL, CAPSAN, WALIND, KALPIN, COCORB. Preserved_Specimen Shrub. Flowers greenish white, capsules light green drying to brown with small grayish black seeds. Camara, K. 48 Hawaii BISH 2022-05-20
6 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details ~50 mature plants along large cliff, north facing slope.; mixed native/alien Sophora chrysophylla, Dodonea viscosa, Osteomeles anthyllidifolia, Schiedea ligustrina, Eragrostis variabilis, Grevillia robusta, Schinus terebinthefolius, etc. Diverse dry mesic cliff. Highly fire prone. Preserved_Specimen cliff dwellijng, drooping, multi-branched shrub, 1.5 meter length. Small green buds at apex on plant, flowers develop quickly on mist bench, with chartreuse petals, beetle smelling in daytime, pleasant foral fragrance at dusk. Ching-Harbin, S. 2021062401 Oahu BISH 2021-06-24
7 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details ~50 mature plants along large cliff, north facing slope.; mixed native/alien Sophora chrysophylla, Dodonea viscosa, Osteomeles anthyllidifolia, Schiedea ligustrina, Eragrostis variabilis, Grevillia robusta, Schinus terebinthefolius, etc. Diverse dry mesic cliff. Highly fire prone. Preserved_Specimen cliff dwelling, drooping, multi-branched shrub, 1.5 meter length. Small green buds at apex on plant, flowers develop quickl;y on mist bench, with chartreuse petals, beetle smelling in daytime, pleasant floral fragrance at dusk. Ching-Harbin, S. 2021062402 Oahu BISH 2021-06-24
8 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Associated species: Sophora chrysophylla, Schidea ligustrina, Melanthera tenuis, Bidens cervicata, acacia formosa, Dodonea viscosa, Alyxia stellata. Preserved_Specimen 1.5 m, leaves shiny glabrous. Stems brittle. Growing on vertical cliff face. Ching-Harbin, S. 2022030101 Oahu BISH 2022-03-01
9 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Growing on vertical cliff face. mixed native/alien dry-mesic cliff shrubland; Associated species: Sophora chrysophylla, Schidea ligustrina, Melanthera tenuis, Bidens cervicata, Acacia formosa, Dodonea viscosa, Alyxia stellata. Preserved_Specimen many branching shrub up to 1.5 m, leaves shiny glabrous Stems brittle. Ching-Harbin, S. 2022052403 Oahu BISH 2022-05-24
10 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Canopy: Grevillea robusta, Schinus terebinthifolia, Dodonaea viscosa, Sophora chrysophylla, Acacia confusa, Toona ciliata, Diospyros sandwicensis, Nototrichium humile, Santalum ellipticum. Understory: Oplismenus hirtellus, Kalanchoe pinnata, Carex meyenii, Melinis minutiflora, Eragrostis variabilis, Schiedea ligustrina, Salvia coccinea, Ageratum riparium, Osteomeles anthyllidifolia, Erigeron karvinskianus, Plectranthus parviflorus, Melanthera tenuis, Sida fallax, Ageratina adenophora, Neraudia angulata var. angulata, Sonchus oleraceus, Euphorbia celastroides var. amplectens Preserved_Specimen Woody shrub, 0.3-2.5m ht; leaves ca 2.5-5cm x 1.5-3cm; flowers not present, some plants beginning to form flower buds; fruits/seeds not present, only dehisced capsules remaining, immature fruit found removed by rodents. Loomis, A. 1 Oahu BISH 2016-07-11
11 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details In arid scrubby grassland of Pennisetum, Leucaena, Canthium, Capparis & Dodonaea. Preserved_Specimen Erect mostly multi-stemmed shrub 4-8 ft. tall. Corolla enlarging to 18-20 mm after pollination. Flowers green; fragrant. Nagata, K.M. 4215 Hawaii BISH 1991-07-14
12 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details on 3000-5000 year old a`a lava substrate. Growing with PSYODO, LEULEU, DODVIS, PENSET, SIDFAL, CAPSAN, WALIND, KALPIN, COCORB. Preserved_Specimen Shrub. Flowers greenish white, capsules light green drying to brown with small grayish black seeds. Camara, K. 49 Hawaii BISH 2022-05-20
13 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details ex protologue: sur le lave decompose Preserved_Specimen ex protologue: attenu de 3 a 6 pieds, fl. verdatre Rémy, J. 535 Hawaii BISH 1851-01-01
14 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rémy, J. 534 Niihau BISH 1851-01-01
15 Isodendrion pyrifolium Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Hillebrand, W.B. Lanai BISH 1870-07-01
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