Kanawao facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kanawao |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Broussaisia
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| Species: |
arguta
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The kanawao (scientific name: Broussaisia arguta) is a special flowering plant found only in Hawaiʻi. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for many years. This plant is the only species in its unique group, called Broussaisia. It belongs to the Hydrangea family, known as Hydrangeaceae.
Discovering the Kanawao Plant
The kanawao is a plant that grows widely across all the main Hawaiian Islands. You can find it in forests that are a bit wet, called mesic forests. It also thrives in very wet forests, where there is lots of rain.
What Kanawao Looks Like
This plant is an evergreen plant, which means its leaves stay green all year long. It can grow in two ways. Sometimes, it grows as a shrub, which is like a large bush, about 1.5 to 3 meters (5 to 10 feet) tall. Other times, it grows into a small tree, reaching up to 6 meters (20 feet) tall.
The leaves of the kanawao are shaped like an oval, wider at the top. They are usually 10 to 25 centimeters (4 to 10 inches) long. They are also 4 to 9 centimeters (1.5 to 3.5 inches) wide. The edges of the leaves have small, fine teeth, like a tiny saw.
How Kanawao Reproduces
Kanawao plants are dioecious. This means that individual plants have either male flowers or female flowers, but not both. For new seeds to form, pollen from a male flower needs to reach a female flower. This is how the kanawao makes new plants and keeps its species alive in Hawaiʻi.
