These Hawaiian lobelioids are endemic to Hawaii with over 90% of Cyanea species are found only on one island in the Hawaiian chain.^[2] They grow in moist and wet forest habitat^[3] and are largely pollinated by birds^[2] such as the Hawaiian honeycreepers,^[4] and the seeds are dispersed by birds that take the fruits.^[2]

Most Cyanea are trees with few branches or none. The inflorescence is a raceme of 4 to 45 flowers which grows from the leaf axils. The fruit is a fleshy berry.^[3][2]

Evolutionary anachronism edit

There have been several theories regarding the evolution of large prickles on these plants that are endemic to islands that lack any mammalian or reptilian herbivores. One such theory suggests that the prickles are a defense against herbivory by the moa-nalo, a few taxa of flightless ducks that went extinct on the islands within the last 1600 years, an example of evolutionary anachronism.^[4]

There are about 78 species in the genus.^[5] Species include:^[6]

• Cyanea aculeatiflora – Haleakala cyanea
• Cyanea acuminata – Honolulu cyanea
• Cyanea angustifolia – hāhā,^[7] ʻaku,^[8]
• Cyanea arborea – palmtree cyanea
• Cyanea asarifolia – gingerleaf cyanea
• Cyanea aspleniifolia – spleenwort cyanea
• Cyanea calycina – Waianae Range rollandia, Oʻahu cyanea
• Cyanea comata – Maui cyanea
• Cyanea copelandii – treetrunk cyanea
• Cyanea coriacea – leatherleaf cyanea
• Cyanea crispa – Koolau Range rollandia
• Cyanea cylindrocalyx – Splitleaf cyanea
• Cyanea dolichopoda – long-foot cyanea
• Cyanea dunbariae – ravine cyanea
• Cyanea duvalliorum
• Cyanea eleeleensis – eleele cyanea
• Cyanea elliptica – ellipticleaf cyanea
• Cyanea fissa – Kauai cyanea
• Cyanea floribunda – Degener's cyanea
• Cyanea giffardii – Kilauea Mauna cyanea
• Cyanea gibsonii
• Cyanea glabra – smooth cyanea
• Cyanea grimesiana – splitleaf cyanea
• Cyanea habenata – stream-bed cyanea
• Cyanea hamatiflora – wetforest cyanea
• Cyanea hardyi – Oahu cyanea
• Cyanea heluensis
• Cyanea hirtella – rustyleaf cyanea
• Cyanea horrida – prickly cyanea, holokea, hāhā nui^[9]
• Cyanea humboldtiana – Oahu rollandia
• Cyanea kahiliensis – spoonleaf cyanea
• Cyanea kauaulaensis^[5]
• Cyanea kolekoleensis – kolekole cyanea
• Cyanea konahuanuiensis – Hāhā miliʻohu
• Cyanea koolauensis – Palolo Valley rollandia
• Cyanea kuhihewa – Limahuli Valley cyanea
• Cyanea kunthiana – Kunth's cyanea
• Cyanea lanceolata – lanceleaf cyanea
• Cyanea leptostegia – giant kokee cyanea
• Cyanea linearifolia – linearleaf cyanea
• Cyanea lobata – Waihee Valley cyanea
• Cyanea longiflora – ridge rollandia
• Cyanea longissima – streambank cyanea
• Cyanea macrostegia – purple cyanea
• Cyanea magnicalyx
• Cyanea mannii – Mann's cyanea
• Cyanea maritae
• Cyanea marksii – Marks' cyanea
• Cyanea mauiensis – Maui cyanea
• Cyanea mceldowneyi – McEldowney's cyanea
• Cyanea membranacea – papery cyanea
• Cyanea minutiflora
• Cyanea munroi – Munro's cyanea
• Cyanea obtusa – bluntlobe cyanea
• Cyanea parvifolia – Waioli Valley rollandia
• Cyanea pilosa – hairy cyanea
• Cyanea pinnatifida – sharktail cyanea
• Cyanea platyphylla – puna cyanea
• Cyanea pohaku – pohaku cyanea
• Cyanea procera – Molokai cyanea
• Cyanea profuga – Mapulehu Valley cyanea
• Cyanea pseudofauriei – hāhā
• Cyanea purpurellifolia – Panaluu Mountain rollandia
• Cyanea pycnocarpa – manyfruit cyanea
• Cyanea quercifolia – oakleaf cyanea
• Cyanea recta – Kealia cyanea
• Cyanea remyi – Remy's cyanea
• Cyanea rivularis – plateau cyanea
• Cyanea salicina – willow cyanea
• Cyanea scabra – harsh cyanea
• Cyanea sessilifolia – sessileleaf cyanea
• Cyanea shipmanii – Shipman's cyanea
• Cyanea solanacea – popolo
• Cyanea solenocalyx – pua kala, molokai
• Cyanea spathulata – spoonleaf cyanea
• Cyanea st.-johnii – St. John's rollandia
• Cyanea stictophylla – Kaiholena cyanea
• Cyanea superba – Mt. Kaala cyanea
• Cyanea tritomantha – ʻaku ʻaku, ʻaku
• Cyanea truncata – Punaluu cyanea
• Cyanea undulata – leechleaf cyanea