Plant Profile
Clermontia kakeana
Hāhā, ʻŌhā, ʻŌhā wai
Main Plant Information
Genus
Clermontia
Species
kakeana
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Hāhā
- ʻŌhā
- ʻŌhā wai
Hawaiian Names
- Haha
- Oha
- Oha wai
Common Names
- Forest clermontia
Synonyms
- Clermonia mauiensis
- Clermontia glabra
- Clermontia grandiflora
- Clermontia macrocarpa
- Clermontia macrophylla
- Clermontia montis-loa
Plant Characteristics
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Shrub
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Shrub, Small, 2 to 6
- Shrub, Medium, 6 to 10
- Shrub, Tall, Greater than 10
Mature Size, Width
10+ feet
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Specimen Plant
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Characteristics
Flower Type
Showy
Flower Colors
- Cream
- Greenish-White
- Purple
- White
Additional Flower Color Information
The showy flowers are greenish white with dark purple interiors (anthers). The large berries are orange. [1]
Leaf Characteristics
Plant texture
- Coarse
Leaf Colors
- Medium Green
Pests and Diseases
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Slugs and snails, particularly African snails, will destroy a plant in one night.
Red spider mites can infest the undersides of leaves, so keep a constant vigilance for these destructive pests.
Growth Requirements
Water Requirements
- Moist
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Partial sun
Soils
- Organic
Limitations
ʻŌhā do not appear to be difficult to grow and maintain under cultivation as long as pests can be controlled especially when planted in the ground.
Environmental Information
Natural Range
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Maui
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- 150 to 1000, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 150 to 1000, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 1000 to 1999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 1000 to 1999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 2000 to 2999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 2000 to 2999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 3000 to 3999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 3000 to 3999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 4000 to 4999, 50 to 100 (Mesic)
- 4000 to 4999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
Habitat
- Epiphyte
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
These shrubs occur in mesic forests, occasionally on margins of wet forests on Oʻahu in the Waiʻanae Mountains (from about 1200 to nearly 3480 ft.) and in the Koʻolau Mountains (about 800 to 2000 ft.), East Molokaʻi (about 1850 to over 3600 ft.), West Maui (2000 to 3510 ft.), and windward East Maui (about 390 to nearly 4170 ft.) [1]
Occasionally seen growing as an ephiphyte (e.g. Mānoa Cliffs Trail, Oʻahu).
Special Features and Information
General Information
The twenty-four Clermontia species (ʻōhā wai) are among the more common of the lobelioides (Campanulaceae), but also include some rare and endangered species.
Etymology
The generic name Clermontia is named for M. le Marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre, Minister of the French Navy at the time of the Freycinet expedition (1817-1820).
The specific epthet kakeana is from Puʻu Kākea, a peak in the eastern Koʻolau Mts. [1] and first “discovered” by Western man in 1831 by Franz J.F. Meyen (1804-1840), a naturalist professor in Belin. [2]
Background Information
Clermontia are “candelabra-like” branching, woody shrubs or small trees. While nearly all the species are found as terrestrials, over half of the species also grow as epiphytes, that is they grow on other plants, with one species always found as such. As epiphytes, they are often found on mossy-trunks or branches of larger trees such as koa, ʻōhiʻa, and ʻōlapa ( Cheirodendron trigynum ). [1] These plants produce two or more flowers on a typical inflorescence and pollinated by honeycreepers (e.g. ʻiʻiwi, ʻakialoa) seeking nectar. [3] Yellow or orange berries are produced after flowering.
Early Hawaiian Use
Early Hawaiians used ʻōhā wai (Clermontia spp.) as a minor food source. The leaves were boiled before eating and the berries were eaten fresh and said to have a sweet taste. [4]
Modern Use
With their general ease of cultivation, several species of Clermontia are slowly being incorporated into residential landscaping. A few are offered through native plant nurseries.
Additional References
[1] “Systematic Botany Monographs, Volume 32, Systematics of Clermontia (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae)” by Thomas G. Lammers, pages 5, 6, 10-11, 24-30, 39, 44.
[2] Microscopy: the Achievements of the 19th Century and their 17th Century Roots www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e01/01f.htm [Accessed 8/27/10]
[3] “The Hawaiian Honeycreeper (Drapanididae)” by H. Douglas Pratt, pages 18, 144.
[4] “Native Hawaiian Medicine–Volume III” by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, page 78.
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