Hesperomannia arbuscula

– Critically Endangered

Taxonomy

Kingdom:

PLANTAE

Phylum:

TRACHEOPHYTA

Class:

MAGNOLIOPSIDA

Order:

ASTERALES

Family:

COMPOSITAE

Scientific Name:

Hesperomannia arbuscula

Species Authority:

Hillebr.

Common Name/s:

English

—

MAUI HESPEROMANNIA

Taxonomic Notes:

Recent taxonomic research has split H. arbuscula into two separate species: H. arbuscula is endemic to the island of Maui, and H. oahuensis is endemic to Oahu island.

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria:

CR A2ac; B1ab(iii,v); C1+2a(i); D ver 3.1 (2001)

Year Assessed:

2003

Assessor/s:

Bruegmann, M.M. & Caraway, V.

Evaluator/s:

Maunder, M. (Plant Conservation Committee) & Pollock, C.M. (Red List Programme Office)

Justification:

Hesperomannia arbuscula is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and Oahu. There has been an observed population decline of 25–50% over the last three years. The total number of known individuals is less than 25. Main threats to the species are habitat degradation by pigs, competition with alien plant species (prickly Florida blackberry, Christmas berry, Koster's curse, and strawberry guava), predation from rats, and from trampling or collecting by humans.

History:

1997	-	Endangered (Walter and Gillett 1998)
1998	-	Critically Endangered (Oldfield et al. 1998)

Geographic Range

Range Description:	H. arbuscula is endemic to the island of Maui.
Countries:	Native: United States (Hawaiian Is.)

Population

Population:	It is found in a very remote area and has around 25 individuals (V.L. Caraway, pers. comm.).
Population Trend:

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology:

A small shrubby tree or shrub, known from scattered subpopulations in lowland rainforest.

System:

Terrestrial

List of Habitats:

1.6	Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland
3.5	Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry

Threats

Threats:

Feral pigs and introduced plants pose the most serious threats.

List of Threats:

1.5	Habitat Loss/Degradation - Invasive alien species (ongoing)
2	Invasive alien species (directly affecting the species) (ongoing)
10	Human disturbance (ongoing)

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions:

This species is being propagated at the Lyon Arboretum and the National Tropical Botanical Garden (G. Koob and S. Smith, pers. comm., 1997). The species is listed under the US Endangered Species Act.

List of Conservation Actions:

5.7.1

Species-based actions - Ex situ conservation actions - Captive breeding/Artificial propagation (in place)

Bibliography

Bibliography:

IUCN. 2003. 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 18 November 2003.

Oldfield, S., Lusty, C. and MacKinven, A. (compilers) 1998. The World List of Threatened Trees. World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region. 1997. Draft recovery plan for Oahu plants. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2003. Rare plant database. Unpublished.

Wagner, W., Herbst, D. and Sohmer S. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Special Publication 91: 1-1918.

Wagner, W., Herbst, D. and Sohmer, S. 1990. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu.

Citation:	Bruegmann, M.M. & Caraway, V. 2003. Hesperomannia arbuscula. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 30 August 2008.
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