National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Jill Shimatsu

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Isodendrion pyrifolium

Family:	Violaceae
Common Names:	aupaka, wahine nono kula
Author:	A. Gray
Growth Habit:	Shrub
CPC Number:	2336

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Jill Shimatsu

Isodendrion pyrifolium is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

National Tropical Botanical Garden

Isodendrion pyrifolium

Isodendrion pyrifolium, or Wahine nono kula, was presumed extinct for over 100 years, until 1991, when four plants were found on State-owned land on the island of Hawai�i. This land was being developed for residential housing and a golf course. Further searches of the site added an additional 50 to 60 plants to the known population, but due to pressure from residential and recreational development, as well as invasive species, there are now only 15 plants at this site. (USFWS 1994, 2001)

I. pyrifolium, a member of the violet family (Violaceae) is a small, branched shrub (0.8 to 2 meters tall) with pubescent branches. The leaves are papery in texture and elliptic in shape, much like the leaves of the unrelated pear tree. Fragrant flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with five green-yellow petals that are somewhat unequally (10 to 15 millimeters long) long and lobed. The upper being the shortest and the lower being the longest. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule, 12 millimeters long with seeds that are olive with a dark spot near the middle.

During drought periods, I. pyrifolium will drop all but its newest leaves. After sufficient rains, the plants produce sweet-scented flowers, with seeds ripening one to two months later.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Hawaii

Habitat

I. pyrifolium is found in dry to mesic forests in elevations ranging from 82 to 300 meters (270 to 1000 ft.) (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1996).

Associated species of I. pyrifolium include Canthium odoratum (alahee), Sida fallax (ilima), Santalum (sandalwood, iliahi), Myoporum sandwicense (naio), Sophora chrysophylla (mamane), and Waltheria indica L. (uhaloa) (USFWS 2002).

Distribution

I. pyrifolium formerly occurred on the islands of Ni�ihau, Moloka�i, O�ahu, Moloka�i, Lana�i, and Hawai�i (Maui, reported by Hillebrand) (Wagner et. al., 1990). Today, just one population exists on Hawai�i (USFWS 2001).

Number Left

Number of Populations: 1 (USFWS 2001)
Number of Plants: 15 (USFWS 2001)

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1	1/24/1995	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LE	3/4/1994	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	Yes	9/26/1996

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

I. pyrifolium is a hermaphrodite that is insect-pollinated and has seeds that are bird dispersed (Sakai et al. 1995).

Threats

Threats to I. pyrifolium include:
� the conversion of this species� natural habitat to residential and recreational developments
� the presence of the invasive fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum
� competition from other alien plants such as Leucaena leucocephala (koa haole)
� the low number of individuals, likely not enough to maintain reproductive vigor, also threatens I. pyrifolium.

Current Research Summary

The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) has propagated I. pyrifolium. The Lyon Arboretum has attempted to grow I. pyrifolium from immature seed but has not had success. Since the development of subdivisions is threatening I. pyrifolium, there are plans to fence the remaining individuals (USFWS 1996).

Current Management Summary

NTBG currently has ex situ holdings of 19 seeds in its seed bank, which are F1 seeds (progeny from cultivated stock in NTBG living collections, open pollinated but no congeners to hybridize with) from the single population. In addition, there are some plants growing in the nursery and four plants in grounds of the botanical garden derived from the single population.

In 2002, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that a designation of critical habitat was prudent for this species. (USFWS 2002)

Research Management Needs

1. Fence and manage the remaining population.
2. Propagation and maintenance of ex situ genetic stock is needed.
3. Control the fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) and koa haole (Leucaena leucocephala) around the wild population of I. pyrifolium.
4. Propagation and outplanting of ex situ plants will be needed in order to establish a sufficient number of populations and plants for recovery.
5. Efforts should be made to re-establish populations on O�ahu and Maui.
6. Map the genetic diversity in the surviving populations of I. pyrifolium.
7. Conduct pollination biology and reproductive studies on I. pyrifolium.
Recommendations derived from M.H. Chapin, M. Maunder, and USFWS (1996).

Ex Situ Needs

1. Establish secure ex situ stocks with full founder representation.
2. Develop proper horticultural protocols and pest management for I. pyrifolium.
Recommendations derived from M.H. Chapin and M. Maunder.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Hillebrand, W. 1888. Flora of the Hawaiian Islands: a description of their phanerogams and vascular cryptogams. Carl Winter, Heidelberg, Germany; Williams & Norgate, London; B. Westermann & Co., New York. 673p.

Wagner, W.L.; Bruegmann, M.M.; Herbst, D.R; Lau, J.Q.C. 1999. Hawaiian Vascular Plants at Risk: 1999. Honolulu, HI: Bishop Museum Press Honolulu.

Wagner, W.L.; Herbst, D.R.; Sohmer, S.H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai'i--Revised Edition. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press and Bishop Museum Press. 1853p.

Books (Sections)

Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC.

Electronic Sources

NatureServe. (2008). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. [Internet].Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. Accessed: (June 17, 2008).

USFWS. (2001). Unpublished data. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817. Accessed: 2001.

Journal Articles

Herbarium Pacificum Staff. 1996. New Hawaiian plant records for 1995. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 0, 46: 3-8.

Sakai, A.K.; Wagner, W.L.; Ferguson, D.M.; Herbst, D.R. 1995. Origins of Dioecy in the Hawaiian Flora. Ecology. 76, 8: 2517-2529.

St. John, H. 1952. Monograph of the genus Isodendrion (Violaceae). Hawaiian plant studies 21. Pacific Science. 6: 213-255.

USFWS. 1994. Determination of Endangered or Threatened Status for 21 Plants from the Island of Hawaii, State of Hawaii. Federal Register. 59, 43: 10305-10325.

USFWS. 2002. Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Hawaii, Hawaii. Federal Register. 67, 102: 36968-37016.

USFWS. 2002. Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. Federal Register. 67, 102: 37108-37156.

USFWS. 2002. Revised Determinations of Prudency and Proposed Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Lanai, HI. Federal Register. 67, 42: 9806-9871.

USFWS. 2002. Revised Determinations of Prudency and Proposed Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Molokai, Hawaii. Federal Register. 67, 66: 16492-16579.

USFWS. 2002. Revised Determinations of Prudency and Proposed Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Islands of Maui and Kahoolawe. Federal Register. 67, 64: 15856-15987.

Reports

MISC. 2001. Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC), Pulling Together Initiative. 2002 Project Proposal. Submitted to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. p.14.

USFWS. 1996. Big Island Plant Cluster Recovery Plan. Portland, Oregon: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. p.202 +.

USFWS. 2002. Pacific Islands Project Highlights: Kona Dryland Forest Project. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Pacific Islands. Web page.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010