Kanaloa kahoolawensis, the Ka palupalu o Kanaloa or kohe malama malama o kanaloa, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae and is endemic to Hawaii. Kanaloa is a monotypic genus with the single species Kanaloa kahoolawensis.
History
Kanaloa was discovered in 1992 by the botanists Ken Wood and Steve Perlman of the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kahoolawe, a small island that was formerly used as a bombing range. Kahoolawe was a penal colony for the Hawaiian monarchy from 1826 to 1853, after which it was leased for ranching. Dry weather and ranching have devastated the island's vegetation. Only two wild plants of Kanaloa kahoolawensis have been observed growing on the island. The genus name honors the Hawaiian deity Kanaloa, who according to legend used the island to rest and regain his energies. which translates as the place or womb for the resuscitation of Kanaloa. Maui, and Kauai's Makauwahi Cave. Whether the pollen grains in the samples belong to K. kahoolawensis cannot be determined. As Kahoolawe was united with Maui and other islands prehistorically (see also Maui Nui), it is entirely possible that the pollen belongs to K. kahoolawensis. On the other hand, it may also be that the Oahu population remains represent another, extinct, species - possibly an ancestor of K. kahoolawensis -, judging from the biogeography of Hawaiian land plants.
Description
Kanaloa kahoolawensis is an unarmed shrub reaching 0.75–1 m in height. Branches are dense, decumbent and measure 0.75-1.5 m long. New growth is densely brown hirtellous-villosulous with straight and curly, white and brown simple trichomes 0.1-0.3 mm long. Stipules free, paired, ovate, villosulous, 1.5–2 mm x 1.2-1.5 mm. Leaves alternate, bipinnately compound with one pair of pinnae, each pinna bears 3 leaflets, a terminal pair and a single proximal leaflet on the abaxial side, leaflets nearly sessile, pulvinus <1 mm, ovate to elliptic, asymmetrical, 2.7-4.2 cm x 1.4-3.2 cm, venation reticulate, leaflet margin entire. Tendrils absent. The inflorescence is a globose capitulum, 7.0-8.5 mm in diameter, peduncle 2.7-4.5 cm, flowers white, 20-54 per head, subtended by persistent peltate bracts, mostly unisexual, male, a few with very reduced sterile stigmas <0.5 mm, hermaphroditic flowers not seen. Sepals pubescent, connate, calyx obconic, 2-2.5 mm, 5 lobed. Petals 5, free, 2.0–3 mm, oblanceolate, inflexed, pubescent, extremely hirtellous apically, midvein conspicuous. Stamens 10, distinct, anthers dorsifixed 0.6-1.0 mm, filaments 2-4.5 mm. Pollen in monads, tricolporate. Fruits stipitate, stipe 4–5 mm long, as many as 4 per capitulum, inertly dehiscent along both margins, obovate or subcircular, 2.4-3.2 x 2-2.3 cm. Each fruit contains a single seed
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Based on molecular phylogenetic studies, Kanaloa is closely related to Schleinitzia and Desmanthus.