Cyanea konahuanuiensis

Conservation. Cyanea konahuanuiensis is a critically imperiled species (see Conservation status below) due to its low population numbers and exceptionally narrow endemism. Some of the conservation obstacles to overcome include probable loss of most, if not all, of its native avian pollinators and dispersers, and suspected herbivory by introduced taxa such as rats, terrestrial gastropod mollusks (slugs), and feral pigs (Sus scrofa). Invasive plant species are becoming increasingly common even in relatively hard to access sites along and near mountain summits in Hawai'i. Species such as Ageratina adenophora, Clidemia hirta, Erigeron karvinskianus, Hedychium gardnerianum, Rubus rosifolius and Setaria palmifolia are competing with Cyanea konahuanuiensis and other native species for space and resources. It is conceivable that stochastic events such as landslides, hurricanes, and flash-flooding could obliterate the majority or all of the currently known plants with a single event. Approximately 20 mature plants and several immature plants have been observed in total. Plants that were observed ranged from seedlings to reproductively mature individuals. Seedlings are scarce, however, which suggests that the population may be declining. The Hawai'i DLNR, Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) has largely funded this research by providing staff time to further investigate this species. The Hawai'i Plant Extinction Prevention (PEP) Program focuses on conserving and restoring plants with less than 50 known wild individuals. Because Cyanea konahuanuiensis falls within that threshold, O'ahu PEP is working closely with DOFAW staff to protect this critically rare taxon. The first goal of the PEP Program is to secure seeds or propagules from each individual mature plant for ex situ germplasm banking. The long-term goal for the PEP Program and DOFAW will be to collaborate in the effort to grow and out-plant nursery stock into appropriate restoration sites. Currently there are no protected (fenced) areas in similar habitat with comparable elevation, rainfall, humidity, and species composition on O'ahu. Our recommendation is that additional fenced out-planting sites be established in appropriate areas of the Ko'olau Mountains in order to establish multiple populations of this species. The authors emphasize the importance of prioritizing staff time to carry out further vegetation surveys in areas that have not been explored in recent history as this exciting new find shows that even seemingly well botanized areas in Hawai'i may yet yield new discoveries. In October 2013, immature fruits from two plants were collected and have since germinated at the UH Harold L. Lyon Arboretum after being directly sown on an agar medium. This is valuable information since at this time all observed fruits seem to be aborting prior to maturity. We recommend collecting immature fruit (or mature fruit if possible) from all reproductive individuals during future fruiting seasons in order to secure genetic representation from all reproductively mature individuals in ex situ collections. The use of cellular phone-connected game cameras is recommended for monitoring of rare plants in remote locations. This novel use of game camera technology saved time and resources, optimizing the timing of visits and increasing the likelihood of making successful and representative observations required for the species description and fruit collections. This rapidly improving technology could have many positive impacts on monitoring rare plants for flower development, fruit development, herbivory impacts, and the effects of various seasonal events.