Haha (Cyanea magnicalyx)

Photo courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr

Hawaiian name: Hāhā (haha)
Botanical name: Cyanea magnicalyx
Family: Campanulaceae (Bellflower family)
Status: Endemic, Endangered
Where found: West Maui
Water/Light: Wet, with partial sunlight
Elevation range: 1,480 feet
Height: 5 to 10 feet

Hawaiian lobeliads are a group of six endemic genera and 126 endemic species that are believed to have evolved in Hawaiʻi from a single ancestor about 13 million years ago. Cyanea is the largest of the six genera, with 81 endemic species, 47 of which are endangered and another 21 considered extinct. As a recent discovery, little is currently known about the biology of Cyanea magnicalyx, often called Hāhā like many Cyanea species. This hāhā is found only in West Maui; in Kaluanui gulch, and Iao Valley State Park. Within its limited range, numerous threats to this species exist including damage from feral pigs and rats, and competition from invasive plant species. These biological factors, in combination with the threat of floods and landslides, mean that the extinction of this species is a very real possibility. In addition to being federally listed as endangered in the United States, Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy lists Cyanea magnicalyx as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need”, the Laukahi Network recognizes it as a Species of Conservation Importance, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has designated it as Critically Endangered.