I'm Not a Regular Vine, I'm a Cool Vine by Kara Rutherford

The Great, the Glorious Phyllostegia Hispida  

by Kara Rutherford 

Phyllostegia hispida. Phyllostegia hispida. Phyllostegia hispida. 

Now try saying that three times fast. 

The Phyllostegia hispida or the PH (what I’m calling it for this blog) is a loosely spreading many-branched vine with thin leaves, short stiff hairs, and white flowers. Endemic to Hawaii, it’s mostly found on the island of Moloka’i in wet forests mostly populated with Mestosiderous Polymorphia, a native Hawaiian tree. Part of the mint family, its vines have groups of seven to eight white flowers and have occasionally been seen growing fruit in the May and June months.

Another One Bites the Dust (hopefully not)

The PH population has been unstable since the late 90’s, taking turns increasing and decreasing throughout the years. In 2005 it was believed that the species was removed

Current Population location in Green

from the area completely, until a single individual was found. Since then reintroduction efforts have been attempted by the Nature Conservancy’s Kamakou Preserve. From 2007-2009 150 individuals were introduced at 30 different sites but by 2011 80% had died, with only seven remaining in 2012. Currently only 20-23 individuals are known to exist, with only 10 of those individuals occurring in the wild.

Major Threats to the PH:

The PH has been a candidate for listing since 1997 but was only listed as endangered in

2009. Despite it’s recent listing, the PH is at high risk of extinction. Among the highest threats to the PH is habitat destruction from feral pigs and habitat degradation from competition with invasive plants. Since the population is so small and localized, any destruction of habitat can lead to severe population loss. Invasive species use the valuable resources the PH needs to survive, making basic necessities like reproduction nearly impossible. Other factors such as predation from rats and nonnative slugs, who feed on their seedlings and fruit, stop reproduction completely.

The Road to Recovery

While we don’t know enough about the PH to assess all of its needs, we do know that immediate actions need to be taken to protect it.  In order to downlist the species from endangered to threatened we need to focus on these areas.

1. Population Size

At least 5 stable populations need to be present in the wild, with each population fostering at least 300 individuals.

2. Management and Monitoring Plans

Habitat needs to be maintained and kept in a condition suitable to the long term reproduction of the PH. Monitoring plans need to be put in place in order to keeps threats under control. Populations need to remain stable or increasing.

3. Habitat Quality

All populations from number 1 need to be fenced in to be protected from feral pigs and other predators. This includes the removal of invasive plants from the area and the relocation of rats and slugs in the area.

So What Are They Doing Now?

Currently the the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii has built a 1.5 mile long fence to keep feral pigs out and help maintain the habitat within the preserve. Seedlings and cuttings are being introduced in areas to encourage reproduction, and biologists are observing the species. Not much is known about the PH so research is the most important part of recovery currently. 

With adequate research and a conscious recovery effort, the PH should be down listed by 2029 and delisted by 2034. While a pretty obtainable goal, the total recovery plan is estimated to cost over 6 million dollars and due to lack of information about the species, all recovery attempts could fail.


Sources:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2009. Phyllostegia Hispida Recovery Plan.Addendum to the Molokai Plant Cluster Recovery Plan pages 1-63

Images: 
http://themolokainews.com/2011/06/08/recovery-plan-for-endangered-molokai-plant-released-for-public-review/
http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/hawaiianflora/speciesdescr.cfm?genus=Phyllostegia&species=hispida
http://www.abcbirds.org/conservationissues/threats/invasives/vertebrates.html