Cindercone isodendrion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cindercone isodendrion |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Isodendrion
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| Species: |
hosakae
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The Isodendrion hosakae is a very rare flowering plant. It belongs to the violet family. People often call it the cindercone isodendrion or aupaka. This special plant only grows in Hawaii. There are fewer than 1,000 of these plants left on the island of Hawaii. Because it is so rare, the United States government has listed it as an endangered species.
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What Does the Cindercone Isodendrion Look Like?
This plant is a shrub. It can grow up to about 80 centimeters tall. That's a bit shorter than an average 12-year-old! Its leaves are shaped like a spearhead and are about 2.5 centimeters long. When it blooms, it produces pretty greenish-yellow flowers. Each flower is about 1.3 centimeters long and smells nice.
Where Does This Rare Plant Live?
The Isodendrion hosakae is very picky about where it lives. It only grows inside cinder cones. Cinder cones are small, cone-shaped hills made from volcanic ash and rocks. All the known plants are found within a small area, about 2.4 kilometers wide, on Hawaii island. The total space where these plants live is tiny, only about 0.8 hectare.
These plants like to grow on the tops or exposed sides of dormant (sleeping) cinder cones. It's often very windy and foggy in these spots. The plants might even get a lot of their water from the fog that rolls in.
What Threats Does the Plant Face?
The area around where these plants grow is mostly rangeland. This means it's used for grazing animals like cattle. One of the biggest dangers to the Isodendrion hosakae is that cattle might eat them. Feral pigs also live in the area and can cause problems.
Another big threat comes from non-native plants. These are plants that were brought to Hawaii from other places. They can grow very fast and take over the space where the Isodendrion hosakae lives. These non-native plants also make the risk of severe fires much higher. Fires can badly damage the plant's habitat.
How Was This Plant Discovered?
This unique plant was first found by Edward Y. Hosaka. Scientists officially described and named the plant in his honor in 1952.
