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Lobelias at Keahiakahoe

Posted: October 9, 2009

When Kris Corliss and Lynn Masuyama told me that lobelias were in bloom at the summit of Keahiakahoe, I had to climb to the top to see and photograph the flowers.

Keahiakahoe is the 2,820 foot peak on the Koolau Mountains which towers over Kaneohe on the windward side and Moanalua Valley on the leeward side.  To reach the lobelias I joined the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) on their 12-mile Tripler Ridge hike and then veered-off alone along the Koolau summit ridge to reach the top of Keahiakahoe.

After parking my car at Moanalua Valley Neighborhood Park at the end of Ala Aolani Street, I started my hike at 7:30 am — half an hour before the HTMC hike start time — in order to return by mid-afternoon.  I wasted little time scampering up the old carriage road, crossing 6 bridges, and then turning right at marker 12 to climb the steep trail that gains the top of Tripler Ridge.

While the climb up the steep ridge was a sweaty heart-pounding workout early in the morning, the trail was easy to negotiate — thanks to the trail maintenance crew of HTMC who opened-up the trail several weeks earlier.

When I gained the top of Tripler Ridge I turned left towards the Koolau Summit through a forest of strawberry guava trees with yellow-green moss growing on their roots.

The vegetation becomes more native the higher and farther one hikes up Tripler Ridge.  I was pleased to see a number of koa and ohia lehua trees thriving on the ridge alongside the trail.

When I reached the junction of Tripler Ridge and the Powerline Trail, dark clouds blew in and rain fell from the clouds.  After I put on my rain gear, I made my way up the last few climbs to reach the Koolau summit ridge.  Not long after I reached the top, the first group of HTMC hikers arrived — Steve, Barney, Nigel, and Janice.  After expressing our disappointment at the rain and  clouds that completely blocked the view, I bid them farewell and turned west along the Koolau summit ridge to hike to Keahiakahoe to see the lobelia.

Much to my surprise as I made my way along the edge of the Koolau summit ridge, the clouds suddenly lifted providing a magnificent view of Kaneohe and the Koolaupoko Coast.  But strangely enough, a large cloud bank lingered for quite some time just leeward of the Koolau summit ridge and created an unusual sight which I was able to photograph.

When the cloud bank finally lifted completely, the sun shone while I photographed the native vegetation — wawai’iole, amau ferns, uki grass, and olapa trees — growing along the edge of the Koolau summit ridge with H-3 below and Mokapu Peninsula off in the distance.

With clouds no longer shrouding the summit ridge, it was easy for me to spot lobelia plants growing at the very edge of the cliffs.  This particular species of lobelia is Trematolobeia singularis, which is on the federal list of endangered species.  Singularis does not have a Hawaiian name, or perhaps more correctly, its Hawaiian name has been lost.  One of the major differences between Trematolobeia singularis and Trematolobeia macrostachys (the species of lobelia on Puu Kaaumakua and Mount Kaala) is that macrostachys has 8 flower stalks which emanate from the center of the plant like the spokes of a wheel, while singularis has only one long flower stalk which produces upwards of several dozen flowers.

Another difference between singularis and macrostachys is the color of its flowers.  Singular is much deeper pink — almost purple — in color as compared with macrostachys whose flowers are white and pink.

But singularis is similar to macrostachys in that the dozens of buds on its flower stalk only open a handful at a time.  Their flowers are also about the same size — just under 2 inches in length.  It takes weeks for all the buds to open in progression from the bottom to the top of the flower stalk.

Having achieved my objective to photograph the lobelia flowers at Keahiakahoe, I turned around to climb back down.  But rather than take the Tripler Ridge Trail back down I opted to take the Powerline Trail for a faster descent.  As I scampered down the trail I reflected on my great fortune at seeing the last few flowers in bloom this season.  Had I waited a few more days, the blooms would have been over for the year.   Many thanks Kris and Lynn for this most excellent tip.

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SOURCES

Hawaii’s Endangered Plants, Bishop Museum

Plants in the Campanulaeae “Lobelia” Family on Oahu, Complied by Ken (Kenji) Suzuki, 2006