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Schiedea spergulina

A.Gray (1854)

This name is accepted

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

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Dioecious, weakly erect to sprawling shrubs.

Stems: Stems often swollen at the nodes, terete (cylindrical), 4–angled or –ridged, 3–6 dm long, few–stemmed from the base, forming tangled clumps, the primary stems branched, weakly ascending to sprawling, internodes 0.8–2.5 cm long, green, glabrous proximally, glabrous to puberulent on the distal stems and inflorescence.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, those of axillary stems often appearing fasciculate owing to condensed internodes. Blades linear or linear–subulate, inconspicuously falcate, weakly v–shaped in cross section, 3–7 (–8.7) cm long, 0.08–0.12 (–0.22) cm wide. Apex attenuate and often slightly curved. Base leaf bases often connate around the stem, base slightly tapering. Surfaces glabrous, but distal ones puberulent on the Upper surfaces near and along the midvein, and on the margins at the base, the hairs 0.05–0.1 mm long, erect, white–opaque; blades, usually reflexed or recurved, becoming reflexed, thin and membranous. Margins slightly thickened. Only the midvein evident, the midvein slightly excentric. Sessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence terminal, with 15–280 flowers, 6–10 cm long, laterally contracted, lateral branches short, the branches and pedicels ascending to somewhat spreading, glabrous or puberulent with hairs like those of the leaves, spreading to erect; bracts green, filiform to linear–subulate, those of central axis 4.5–6 mm long, those of branches and flowers 1.3–2 mm long. Flowers unisexual and plants dioecious. Calyx of staminate flowers with sepals subequal, 2.5–2.65 mm long, narrowly ovate, yellowish green, yellow toward the base, opaque, reflexed and convex at the base, producing a small transverse bulge, the middle part concave, curved upward and broadly and shallowly navicular to nearly flat in the distal ⅓, sometimes irregularly inrolled toward the apex, oriented at 80° to 100° angle to the pedicel, moderately puberulent, the hairs 0.05–0.1 mm long, margins broadly and conspicuously scarious, sometimes ciliate in distal ½, apex obtuse. Pistillate flowers: sepals subequal, 2–2.25 mm long, narrowly ovate, yellowish green, yellow toward the base, opaque, reflexed and convex at the base, producing a small transverse bulge, the middle part concave, curved upward and broadly navicular to nearly flat in the distal ⅓, often irregularly inrolled toward the apex, oriented at 80° to 100° angle to the pedicel, moderately puberulent, the hairs 0.05–0.1 mm long, margins broadly and conspicuously scarious, sometimes ciliate in distal ½, apex obtuse. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens in staminate flowers 10, the filaments dimorphic, 3-5 mm long, the antisepalous whorl 2.8–3.9 mm long, the alternate whorl 2.3–3.5 mm long; anthers ca. 0.3 mm long, pale yellow. Pistillate flowers: Stamens 10 (–11), vestigial, the filaments subequal, 0.55–0.7 mm long; anthers ca. 0.3 mm long, yellowish white, not producing pollen. Ovary superior (pistillate flowers), 1-celled; ovule placentation free-central; styles 2–3. Staminate flowers: styles 2–3, weakly elongating but non–functional.

Fruit: Capsules 2–3.5 mm long; narrowly ovoid. Seeds 0.7–0.8 mm long; reniform; compressed; the surface transversely rugose; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy: 2n = 46*–50*

Habitat: Rare on cliffs and in diverse dry shrubland and mesic forest.

Elevation Range: 60–800 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.
  • Rare on cliffs and in diverse mesic forest, 180-250 m, known only from Olokele and Waimea canyons and reported from east of Hanap€p€ and ridge west of Wahiawa, Kaua'
  • Two weakly distinct varieties are recognized within Schiedea spergulina: var. leiopoda [incl. var. majorl with glabrous inflorescences (Hanapepe and Wahiawa), perhaps extinct; and var. spergulina [incl. var. degenerianol with puberulent inflorescences (Olokele and Waimea canyons), extant but endangered.

Bibliography

Name Published In: U.S. Expl. Exped., Phan. 1: 135 (1854)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:520 (K [as S. s. vars. spergulina & leiopoda]); Lorence et al. 1995:31 (REDISCOVER/K [var. leiopoda]); Wagner, Weller & Sakai 2005:127 (Syn. S. spergulina var. leiopoda = S. spergulina, KEY, DESCR); Note: S. s. var. leiopoda is federally listed as E whereas S. s. var. spergulina is T

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 302 Kauai BISH 1909-08-28
2 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Skottsberg, C.J.F. 1030 Kauai BISH 1922-10-31
3 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Below Canyon Rd. Relic Dodonaea shrubland. W/Bidens sandwicensis, Melanthera connata, Sida Fallax, Sicyos herbstii, Schiedea spergulina, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Heteropogon contortus, Panicum konaense, Doryopteris decora Preserved_Specimen Wood, K.R. 14617 Kauai BISH 2011-04-20
4 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Lydgate, J.M. Kauai BISH
5 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Weller, S.G. 863 Kauai BISH 1987-03-01
6 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Growing in cracks on dry, exposed rock faces. Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 2840 Kauai BISH 1972-11-20
7 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Weller, S.G. Kauai BISH 1987-01-01
8 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Dry scrub vegetation on steep rocky outcrops and cliffs. Melinis repens and Panicum sp. dominant ground cover with Dodonaea viscosa and Leucaena leucocephala. Waltheria indica, Kalanchoe spp, and Melanthera sp. also present. Preserved_Specimen Trauernicht, C. 489 Kauai BISH 2008-05-17
9 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Relic Dodonaea shrubland. W/ Bidens sandwicensis, Melanthera connata, Sida fallax, Sicyos herbstii, Schiedea spergulina, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Heeropogon contortus, Panicum konaense, Doryopteris decora Preserved_Specimen Wood, K.R. 14622 Kauai BISH 2011-04-20
10 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details North-facing Lowland Dry-Mesics Cliffs Polyscias racemosa, Nototrichium sandwicense, Psydrax odarta, Melia azederach, Grevillea robusta, Lantana camara, Hyptis pectinata Preserved_Specimen Williams, A.M. 365 Kauai BISH 2017-05-08
11 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Bare crevices of cliff above river Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 23965 Kauai BISH 1955-09-20
12 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Relic Dodonaea shrubland. W/ Bidens sandwicensis, Melanthera connata, Sida fallax, Sicyos herbstii, Schiedea spergulina, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Heteropogon contortus, Panicum konaense, Doryopteris decora Preserved_Specimen Wood, K.R. 14611 Kauai BISH 2011-04-20
13 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Ridge Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 302 Kauai BISH 1909-08-01
14 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Cu Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 6798 Kauai BISH 1998-02-09
15 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details along side of a steep ridgeDiospyros-Acacia-Metrosideros montane mesic forest. With Diospyros sandwicensis, D. hillebrandii, Alphitonia ponderosa, Pisonia sandwicensis, Dodonaea viscosa, P.eomele aurea, Psychotria mariniana, Kadua affinis, Coprosma waimeae, C. foliosa, Myrsine lan Preserved_Specimen Wood, K.R. 15881 Kauai BISH 2014-03-20
16 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details On cliffs with Schiedea spergulina, Lobelia niihauensis, Artemisia, Nototrichium, Lepidium serra, near Kauai diverse lowland mesic forest with Bobea timonioides, Alectryon, Rauvolfia, Streblus, Pleomele, Myrsine, Hibiscus, Melicope, Antidesma, Metrosideros, Flueggea, Tetraplasandra, Melia, Lantana, Aleurites. Preserved_Specimen Perlman, S. 7033 Kauai BISH 1987-11-28
17 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Steep slope Preserved_Specimen Flynn, T.W. 998 Kauai BISH 1985-02-07
18 Schiedea spergulina Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Diverse lowland forest w/ Kokia, Alectryon, Metrosideros, Nestegis, Melicope, Hibiscadelphus, Euphorbia haeleeleana, Gahnia aspera, Pteralyxia, Neraudia, Gouania meyenii. Abundant on cliffs w/ Hibiscadelphus distans. Preserved_Specimen Wood, K.R. 2475 Kauai BISH 1993-03-30
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