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Brighamia insignis

A.Gray (1867)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Campanulaceae Genus: Brighamia

‘ālula [alula], ‘olulu (Ni‘ihau via St. John), ‘ōlulu [olulu], ālula, hāhā [haha], pū aupaka [pu aupaka]

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Unbranched caudiciform succulents.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, arranged in a dense apical rosette. Blades 12–20 cm long, 6.5–11 cm wide. Apex subacute to obtuse. Base cuneate. Margins entire or weakly and distantly toothed in the apical ½. Sessile to subsessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in suberect or spreading axillary, bracteolate racemes. peduncles (including rachis) 4–12 cm long; pedicels 1–3 cm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or rarely unisexual, resupinate, protandrous, fragrant, 3–8. Hypanthium 10–12 mm long, 4.5–7 mm wide. Calyx synsepalous; tube 10–ribbed, adnate to the ovary, forming a hypanthium; lobes 5, free, valvate, shorter than the tube. Calyx lobes deltate to ovate, 0.2–1 mm long. Corolla salverform, yellow to pale cream (rarely white); tube 7–14 cm long, 0.3–0.4 cm wide; lobes 5, elliptic, margins finely erose, 1.3–2.2 cm long, 0.7–1.1 cm wide. Stamens 5, syngenesious, included within the corolla tube, adnate to the corolla tube below the middle; anthers glabrous or pubescent along the connectives, dithecal, opening by introrse longitudinal slits, the three dorsal ones longer than the two ventral ones, all with apical tufts of white hairs. Pollen tricolporate, prolate, ellipsoidal. Ovary inferior, 2-locular; ovule placentation axile; style slender, exserted; stigma 2-lobed, appressed and nonreceptive as the style grows through the anther tube, pushing out the pollen, after which the stigmas spread apart and become receptive.

Fruit: Capsules 13–19 mm long; 9–13 mm wide; 4–5 mm thick; ellipsoid; compressed; at first fleshy; eventually drying; each locule dehiscent by two lateral longitudinal slits. Seeds numerous; small; pale; ovoid to ellipsoid; 0.8–1.2 mm long; papillose with a short to spatulate dicotyledonous embryo embedded in oily endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 14*.

Habitat: Basaltic cliffs near the ocean.

Elevation Range: Up to 400 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

PROPAGATION/CULTIVATION

  • Cultivated plants may begin to flower as early as their first year, but usually not for two or three years. Hand pollination should increase seed production since the native pollinator is presumed to be extinct. To hand pollinate Brighamia, use a small paint brush to transfer the pollen. When the flowers are a couple of days old, the pollen will begin being shed. Use the paint brush to pick up pollen that has fallen onto the flower tube and apply the pollen to the stigma of another flower. The stigma is ready to receive the pollen when it appears shiny and sticky. According to Koob, if pollination is successful, the base of the flower will start to swell within a couple of days. The fruit of Brighamia insignis is a green capsule about 1/2 inch long which ripens six to eight weeks after pollination. When mature, the capsule splits open releasing many small, smooth seeds. Hannon states that the capsules may still be green when the open or they may have turned pale yellow or light cream in color. Some seeds may remain stuck to the sides of the capsule. The capsules can be harvested just as they start to crack open. Place the capsules in a paper bag or envelope until the seeds fall out of the open capsule. Most sources state that Brighamia seeds require light to germinate and to sprinkle the seeds on the surface of moist, fine textured medium that drains well such as fine perlite or commercial peat/perlite potting mix. Hannon suggests a light covering of fine potting medium. Use of a mist system is suggested by NTBG. Seeds should be kept in partial shade. Koob indicates that the seeds will begin germinating in a couple of weeks and that most seeds will sprout at the same time. Christensen writes that the first seed germinated in 11 days and germination continued for 2 months. His final germination rate was 66%. Hannon reports sporadic germination beginning in two weeks. NTBG (Ragone 1993) reports 44% germination rate after 3 months for seeds stored for 5 months at 80 degrees F and 25% relative humidity. Seed can be sown fresh or can be stored. Koob states that they can be kept in a refrigerator for up to 2 or 3 years. Hannon, however, writes that viability declines rapidly after 10 to 12 months. NTBG (Ragone 1993) reports that the seeds were no longer viable after storage at ambient temperature (80 degrees F) and relative humidity (25%) for 17 months. (Christensen 1979; Hannon 2002; Koob 2000; NTBG 1992; Ragone 1993; Wagner 1999)
  • Johnson reports success micropropagating Brighamia insignis. Seeds are germinated on standard agar growth media or half-strength Murashige and Skoog media. The resulting seedlings are dissected and small pieces grown on Murashige and Skoog media to which NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid) has been added. No additional details are provided. (Johnson 1986) [Data from Herring, E. C., & Criley, R. A. (2003). The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Web Site: Developing a Webbased Information Resource. HortTechnology, 13(3), 545-548. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawnprop/]

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Endemic
Kaua'i Endemic
O'ahu Only found in cultivation

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 185 (1867)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:423 (Ni, K); Staples & Herbst 2005:217 (KEY, DESCR); PEPP 2025 (EXTINCT); Wichman & St. John 1990:137/PEPP 2025 (Ni†, 1947); PEPP 2025/Ken Wood pers. comm. 2025 (K†, 2020)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Dry precipitous cliffs, shaded, in bare soil on top or in crevices of basalt rock. Preserved_Specimen Lane, I.E. 57154 Kauai BISH 1957-10-13
2 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Dry sunny vertical cliff. Preserved_Specimen Lane, I.E. 57150 Kauai BISH 1957-10-06
3 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details On exposed windy ledge. Preserved_Specimen Stone, B.C. 842 Kauai BISH 1955-06-18
4 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details On open lawn. Preserved_Specimen Takeuchi, W.N. 2519 Oahu BISH 1985-10-01
5 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details On ledges of basalt precipice, with Lipochaeta & Peucedanum. Fairly common on one cliff. Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. 23156 Kauai BISH 1948-01-01
6 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 706 Kauai BISH 1916-10-31
7 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 706 Kauai BISH 1916-10-31
8 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Lydgate, J.M. Kauai BISH
9 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 706 Kauai BISH 1916-10-31
10 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Stone, B.C. 1475 Kauai BISH 1956-12-24
11 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rémy, J. 309 Niihau BISH 1851-01-01
12 Brighamia insignis Haupu Preserved_Specimen Perlman, S. Kauai BISH 1979-10-10
13 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Newhouse, W.J. Kauai BISH 1957-09-15
14 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 706 Kauai BISH 1916-10-31
15 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Rémy, J. 309 Niihau BISH 1851-01-01
16 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. Kauai BISH 1957-10-01
17 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Lydgate, J.M. Kauai BISH
18 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 706 Kauai BISH 1916-10-31
19 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Kauai BISH
20 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Kauai BISH
21 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Kauai BISH
22 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Lydgate, J.M. Kauai BISH
23 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Newhouse, W.J. Kauai BISH 1957-09-15
24 Brighamia insignis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Kauai BISH
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