Plant Profile
Clermontia montis-loa
ʻŌhā, ʻŌhā wai, ʻŌhā wai nui, Hāhā
Main Plant Information
Genus
Clermontia
Species
montis-loa
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- ʻŌhā
- ʻŌhā wai
- ʻŌhā wai nui
- Hāhā
Hawaiian Names
- Haha
- Oha
- Oha wai
- Oha wai nui
Common Names
- Mauna Loa clermontia
Plant Characteristics
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Shrub
- Tree
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Shrub, Medium, 6 to 10
- Shrub, Tall, Greater than 10
- Tree, Dwarf, Less than 15
- Tree, Small, 15 to 30
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
No data available.
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Characteristics
Flower Type
Showy
Flower Colors
- Green
- Purple
Additional Flower Color Information
The perianth* is greenish or purple externally and purple or blackish purple within.
*A colective term for the combined sepals and petals (or tepals) of a flower. The sterile flower parts.
Blooming Period
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
Additional Blooming Period and Fruiting Information
The blooming period for this species is based on photos and may extend to other months. Berries, following flowering, are orange and somewhat round or oblong.
Leaf Characteristics
Plant texture
- Coarse
Leaf Colors
- Dark Green
- Light Green
Additional Leaf Color Information
Leaves are dark green on the upper surface dark green, glabrous (without hairs), lower sufurace pale green or purplish, pubescent (having hairs).
Pests and Diseases
Growth Requirements
Water Requirements
No data available.
Light Conditions
No data available.
Environmental Information
Natural Range
- Hawaiʻi
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- 3000 to 3999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
- 4000 to 4999, Greater than 100 (Wet)
Habitat
- Epiphyte
- Terrestrial
Additional Habitat Information
This beautiful species is found from 3510 to just over 5575 in wet forest of the Hilo, Puna, and Kaʻū districts of Hawaiʻi Island.
Special Features and Information
General Information
The twenty-two 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 on behalf M. le Marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre, Minister of the French Navy at the time of the Freycinet expedition (1817-1820).
The specific epithet montis-loa is the Latanized Mauna Loa, where this species is found.
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] Orange berries are produced after flowering.
Early Hawaiian Use
Early Hawaiians used ʻōhā wai (Clermontia spp.) as a minor food source. [1] The leaves were boiled before eating and the berries were eaten fresh and said to have a sweet taste. [2]
Modern Use
With their general ease of cultivation, several species of Clermontia are slowly being incorporated into home landscaping.
Additional References
[1] “Systematic Botany Monographs, Volume 32, Systematics of Clermontia (Campanulaceae-Lobelioideae)” by Thomas Lammers, pages 10-11, 80, 81.
[2] “Native Hawaiian Medicine–Volume III” by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, page 78.
[3] “The Hawaiian Honeycreeper (Drapanididae)” by H. Douglas Pratt, pages 18, 144.
