Awalua Ridge tetramolopium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Awalua Ridge tetramolopium |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: |
Asteroideae
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| Tribe: |
Astereae
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| Genus: |
Tetramolopium
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| Species: |
T. remyi
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| Binomial name | |
| Tetramolopium remyi (A.Gray) Hillebr.
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Tetramolopium remyi is a very rare flowering plant. It is part of the aster family, which includes daisies and sunflowers. People also call it Awalua Ridge tetramolopium or Remy's tetramolopium. This special plant only grows in Hawaii. Today, you can only find it on the island of Lanai.
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About Remy's Tetramolopium
This plant is a type of shrub. It can grow upright or lean over. It usually reaches about 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) tall.
What Does It Look Like?
The leaves of this plant are narrow and stiff. They can be up to 3.5 centimeters (about 1.4 inches) long. The edges of the leaves are often rolled inwards.
The plant produces a single flower head. This means it looks like one big flower, but it's actually many tiny flowers grouped together. The flower heads are about 1.5 centimeters (about 0.6 inches) wide. These are the largest flower heads of any plant in the Tetramolopium group. Each head has many white ray florets (like petals) and yellow disc florets (in the center).
Where Does It Live?
This plant used to live on the island of Maui too. But it hasn't been seen there since 1944. This means it is likely gone from Maui, which is called extirpated. An extirpated species is one that no longer exists in a certain area, but can still be found elsewhere.
Why Is It Endangered?
Tetramolopium remyi is a endangered species in the United States. This means it is at high risk of disappearing forever. Its home, or habitat, is being damaged. This damage is called habitat degradation.
Animals like deer and Mouflon (a type of wild sheep) eat the plants. Also, new plants brought in by people, called introduced species, compete with Tetramolopium remyi for space and resources. These threats make it very hard for the plant to survive and grow.
