Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 198 / Thursday, October 10, 1996 / Rules and Regulations 53089
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Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 198 / Thursday, October 10, 1996 / Rules and Regulations 53089 Species Historic Family Status When listed Critical Special Scientific name Common name range habitat rules ******* Schiedea None ........................ U.S.A.(HI) CaryophyllaceaeÐPink ............... E 590 NA NA stellarioides. ******* Viola kauaensis Nani wai'ale'ale ....... U.S.A.(HI) ViolaceaeÐViolet ........................ E 590 NA NA var. wahiawaensis. ******* Dated: September 24, 1996. rule implements the Federal protection centimeters (cm) (50 to 250 inches (in.)), John G. Rogers, provisions provided by the Act for these most of which is received at higher Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service. plant taxa. elevations along the entire length of the [FR Doc. 96±25558 Filed 10±09±96; 8:45 am] EFFECTIVE DATE: This rule takes effect windward (northeastern) side BILLING CODE 4310±55±P November 12, 1996. (Taliaferro 1959). ADDRESSES: The complete file for this Nineteen of the plant taxa in this final rule is available for inspection, by rule occur in the Koolau MountainsÐ 50 CFR Part 17 appointment, during normal business Chamaesyce rockii, Cyanea acuminata, hours at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Cyanea humboldtiana, Cyanea RIN 1018±AD50 Service, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, koolauensis, Cyanea longiflora, Cyanea st.-johnii, Cyrtandra dentata, Cyrtandra Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Room 3108, P.O. Box 5088, Honolulu, subumbellata, Cyrtandra viridiflora, and Plants; Determination of Hawaii 96850. Delissea subcordata, Gardenia mannii, Endangered Status for Twenty-five FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Labordia cyrtandrae, Lobelia Plant Species From the Island of Oahu, Brooks Harper, Field Supervisor, gaudichaudii ssp. koolauensis, Lobelia Hawaii Ecological Services (see ADDRESSES section) (telephone: 808/541±3441; monostachya, Melicope saint-johnii, AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, facsimile 808/541±3470). Myrsine juddii, Phyllostegia hirsuta, Interior. Trematolobelia singularis, and Viola SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ACTION: Final rule. oahuensis. The vegetation communities Background of the Koolau Mountains, especially in SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Chamaesyce herbstii, Chamaesyce the upper elevations to which many of Service (Service) determines rockii, Cyanea acuminata, Cyanea the plant taxa in this final rule are endangered status pursuant to the humboldtiana, Cyanea koolauensis, restricted, are primarily lowland mesic Endangered Species Act of 1973, as Cyanea longiflora, Cyanea st.-johnii, and wet forests dominated by amended (Act), for 25 plant taxaÐ Cyrtandra dentata, Cyrtandra Metrosideros polymorpha (`ohi`a) and/or Chamaesyce herbstii (`akoko), subumbellata, Cyrtandra viridiflora, other tree or fern taxa. However, the Chamaesyce rockii (`akoko), Cyanea Delissea subcordata, Eragrostis vegetation now covering the Koolau acuminata (haha), Cyanea fosbergii, Gardenia mannii, Labordia Mountain Range is mostly alien. The humboldtiana (haha), Cyanea cyrtandrae, Lepidium arbuscula, Lobelia majority of the remaining native koolauensis (haha), Cyanea longiflora gaudichaudii ssp. koolauensis, Lobelia vegetation is restricted to steep valley (haha), Cyanea st.-johnii (haha), monostachya, Melicope saint-johnii, head walls and inaccessible summit Cyrtandra dentata (ha`iwale), Cyrtandra Myrsine juddii, Phyllostegia hirsuta, ridges. The windswept ridges are very subumbellata (ha`iwale), Cyrtandra Phyllostegia kaalaensis, Pritchardia steep and are characterized by grasses, viridiflora (ha`iwale), Delissea kaalae, Schiedea kealiae, ferns, and low-growing, stunted shrubs subcordata (`oha), Eragrostis fosbergii Trematolobelia singularis, and Viola (Gagne and Cuddihy 1990). (No common name (NCN)), Gardenia oahuensis are endemic to the island of The Waianae Mountains were built by mannii (nanu), Labordia cyrtandrae Oahu, Hawaiian Islands. eruptions that took place primarily (kamakahala), Lepidium arbuscula The island of Oahu is formed from the along three rift zones. The two principal (`anaunau), Lobelia gaudichaudii ssp. remnants of two large shield volcanoes, rift zones run in a northwestward and koolauensis (NCN), Lobelia the younger Koolau volcano on the east south-southeastward direction from the monostachya (NCN), Melicope saint- and the older Waianae volcano to the summit and a lesser one runs to the johnii (alani), Myrsine juddii (kolea), west (Department of Geography 1983). northeast. The range is approximately Phyllostegia hirsuta (NCN), Phyllostegia Their original shield volcano shape has 64 km (40 mi) long. The caldera lies kaalaensis (NCN), Pritchardia kaalae been lost as a result of extensive between the north side of Makaha (loulu), Schiedea kealiae (NCN), erosion, and today these volcanoes are Valley and the head of Nanakuli Valley Trematolobelia singularis (NCN), and called mountains or ranges, and consist (MacDonald et al. 1983). The Waianae Viola oahuensis (NCN). All 25 taxa are of long, narrow ridges. The Koolau Mountains are in the rain shadow of the endemic to the island of Oahu, Mountains were built by eruptions that parallel Koolau Mountains and except Hawaiian Islands. The 25 plant taxa and took place primarily along a northwest- for Mt. Kaala, the highest point on Oahu their habitats have been variously trending rift zone (Macdonald et al. (1,225 meters (m)) 4,020 feet (ft)), affected or are currently threatened by 1983) and formed a range now receive much less rainfall (Wagner et al. one or more of the followingÐ approximately 60 kilometers (km) (37 1990). The median annual rainfall for competition, predation, or habitat miles (mi)) long (Foote et al. 1972). the Waianae Mountains varies from 51 degradation from alien species; human Median annual rainfall for the Koolau to 190 cm (20 to 75 in) with only the impacts; fire; and natural disasters. This Mountains varies from 130 to 640 small summit area of Mt. Kaala 53090 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 198 / Thursday, October 10, 1996 / Rules and Regulations receiving the highest amount. Relative normally 8 to 19.5 cm (3.1 to 7.7 in.) Joseph F. Rock collected a plant in to the Koolau Mountains, the Waianae long and 1.8 to 3.8 cm (0.7 to 1.5 in.) 1908 in the Koolau Mountains, Oahu, Mountains have a greater range of wide, are narrowly oblong or sometimes which was described a year later by elevations, moisture regimes, and more lance-shaped or elliptic. The Charles Noyes Forbes as Euphorbia habitat types. As a result, the most leaves are arranged in pairs on the same rockii. Leon Croizat and Otto Degener biologically diverse region on the island plane. The small, petalless flower (Degener and Croizat 1936) later of Oahu is the Waianae Mountains. clusters (cyathia or compact flowering transferred the species to Chamaesyce, Thirteen of the 25 plant taxa occur in stalks with small individual flowers, the resulting in the new combination the Waianae MountainsÐChamaesyce whole simulating a single flower) occur Chamaesyce rockii, the name accepted herbstii, Cyanea longiflora, Cyrtandra in groups of 3 to 15 in branched, open in the current treatment of Hawaiian dentata, Delissea subcordata, Eragrostis flowering stalks. The individual flower members of the genus (Koutnik 1990). fosbergii, Gardenia mannii, Labordia stalks are 8 to 20 millimeters (mm) (0.3 The specific epithet honors Rock, an cyrtandrae, Lepidium arbuscula, to 0.8 in.) long. The hairy inflorescence intrepid collector and scholar of the Melicope saint-johnii, Phyllostegia bracts (specialized leaves) are broadly Hawaiian flora. hirsuta, Phyllostegia kaalaensis, bell-shaped and contain five to six Chamaesyce rockii, a member of the Pritchardia kaalae, and Schiedea yellowish green glands. The green or spurge family, is usually a compact kealiae. These taxa, with the exception sometimes reddish purple-tinged, shrub or sometimes a small tree of Lepidium arbuscula and Schiedea angular capsules (dry fruit that open at typically ranging from 0.5 to 2 m (1.6 to kealiae, are found primarily in mesic maturity) scarcely protrude from the 6.6 ft) tall, but in protected sites it has forests dominated by `ohi`a, Acacia koa bracts. This species is distinguished been known to reach 4 m (13 ft) in (koa), Diospyros sandwicensis (lama), or from others in the genus by the length height. The leathery leaves, generally 8 a diverse mix of trees. Lepidium of the flowering stalk and the color of to 14 cm (3 to 5.5 in.) long and 2 to 3.5 arbuscula is found primarily in mesic the angular fruits (Koutnik 1990). cm (0.8 to 1.4 in.) wide, are narrowly shrublands on ridges, steep slopes, and Historically Chamaesyce herbstii was oblong to oblong-elliptic or sometimes cliffs composed of a variety of native known from scattered populations in narrowly elliptic in shape. The leaves shrubs, herbs, and grasses. Schiedea the northern and central Waianae are arranged in two opposite rows along kealiae is found on dry cliff Mountains on the island of Oahu the stem, and have smooth leaf margins. communities with a variety of native (Hawaii Heritage Program (HHP) 1994c1 The cyathia occur in groups of about 3 trees and shrubs (Joel Lau, The Nature to 1994c5). Currently this species is to 10 in branched, open to sometimes Conservancy of Hawaii (TNCH), pers. known from four populations in the condensed flowering stalks that are comm., 1994). central and northern Waianae usually 2 to 6 cm (0.8 to 2.4 in.) long. The known habitat of these 25 plant MountainsÐSouth Ekahanui Gulch, The bracts of the flowering stalks are taxa is owned by the City and