Cyanea angustifolia

• Hawaiian Name: Haha
• Conservation Status: Apparently Secure
• Distribution: O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Maui
• Date photographed: 8/9/2010
• Ease of viewing: Easy
• *Identification: Form– Branched shrub 1.5-5 m tall. Leaves-lanceolate, narrowly elliptic, or narrowly oblong; blades 9-32 cm long by 1.5-5.5 cm wide; margins callose-crenulate to callose-crenate; petioles 2.5-9 cm long. Flower– hypanthium purple, obovoid, 3-6 mm long; calyx lobes dentiform, 0.5-1 mm long; corolla white or greenish white, 20-30 mm long.
• Phylogenetic comments: C. angustifolia is part of the clade of Cyanea that has purple fruit. Many of these purple-fruited types can be found in more open forest habitat, as opposed to the forest interiors like the orange-fruited Cyanea. 2022 update — C. angustifolia seems to have diverged early on from C. pyrularia and together with C. membrenacea  and species related to C. mannii form the angustifolia clade.
• My notes: Currently, this is the second-most common lobeliad found in the Manoa Cliff restoration site. It is quite easily seen along the trail. Some of the older ones are about 10-12 ft tall. Another very easy to see individual is off the popular Aiea Loop trail. — Now in 2023, this species is in an interesting spot for me. Over the years, this has been the most common species of Cyanea that I’ve come across. When I originally did this write-up for this species a decade ago, there were still areas where one could come across dozens. Rarely had I come across seedlings though. We’re still doing what we can to keep this species robust.
• Links: Smithsonian Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, UH Botany, Native Hawaiian Plants- Cyanea
• Additional pics:

*From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i