Schiedea sarmentosa

No Common Name

Description

Schiedea sarmentosa, a member of the pink family, is a many-branched shrub 12-18 in (30.5-45.7 cm) tall. The opposite leaves are slender, threadlike, 0.6-1.8 in (1.5-4.6 cm) long, and 0.01-0.05 in (0.3-1.3 mm) wide. These leaves are covered with dense, glandular hairs. There may be as many as 40-60 inflorescences on one plant, often with 50-100 flowers in each inflorescence. The flowers are female on some plants and bisexual on others. The green sepals are egg shaped, 0.07-0.12 in (1.8-3 mm) long, and somewhat hairy. The staminodes (false stamens) are half as long as the sepals and two-branched at the tip. The fruits are oval capsules. This species differs from others in this endemic Hawaiian genus by its densely bushy habit, leaf width, hairiness, and staminode length.

The S. sarmentosa population in Makolelau Gulch on Molokai has a female flower population of 31%. Based on analyses of pollen-ovule ratios, pollen size, inflorescence structure, and comparison to other Schiedea species tested in a wind tunnel, S. sarmentosa could be wind-pollinated.

Habitat

S. sarmentosa is typically found on steep slopes in lowland dry or mesic shrubland between 2,000-2,600 ft (609.6-792.5 m) in elevation. Associated species include Styphelia tameiameiae (pukiawe), Chenopodium oahuensis ('aheahea), Alyxia oliviformis (maile), Pleomele sp. (hala pepe), and Chamaesyce sp. ('akoko).

Distribution

S. sarmentosa was found historically on the island of Molokai in Kawela Gulch, Makolelau, and Onini Gulch, although only two extant populations are now known. One population at the boundary of the Nature Conservancy's Kamakou Preserve in Onini Gulch has approximately 30 individuals. The other population occurs on privately owned land in Makolelau and consists of four subpopulations totaling approximately 300-400 individuals. Estimates of the total number of remaining individuals ranged up to 1,000 in 1994. An accurate count is somewhat difficult because this species is interspersed with S. lydgatei, a plant with which it hybridizes.

Threats

Major threats to S. sarmentosa include feral goats and pigs, the alien plants molasses grass and castor bean, and fire. The species is also threatened by a risk of extinction from naturally occurring events due to the low number of populations. Goats are a threat to the larger population of S. sarmentosa, and pigs pose an immediate threat to this species.

S. sarmentosa has populations close to trails, making individual plants easily accessible to collectors. Overcollection is certainly a potential threat.

Conservation and Recovery

S. sarmentosa seeds that have been stored at National Tropical Botanical Garden since 1992 were planted in 1998 without successful germination.

Contacts

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Regional Office, Division of Endangered Species
Eastside Federal Complex
911 N. E. 11th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
(503) 231-6121
http://pacific.fws.gov/

Pacific Remote Islands Ecological Services Field Office
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 3-122
P. O. Box 50088
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
Telephone: (808) 541-1201
Fax: (808) 541-1216

Reference

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1988. "Molokai II: Addendum to the Recovery Plan for the Molokai Plant Cluster." U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. 52 pp.