Acaena exigua explained

Acaena exigua is an extinct species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name liliwai. It was endemic to Hawaii, where it was known from Kauaʻi and west Maui. It had not been seen or collected since 1957 and was feared extinct until 1997, when one plant was discovered in a remote montane bog on Maui.^[1] The plant died in 2000, and the species is now considered extinct.^[2]

Reason for extinction

The reason for extinction is unknown. While it has been ascribed to rooting by pigs, feral populations have only been present in the vicinity of the population on Kauaʻi for some twenty years, and West Maui is pig-free.

External links

• USDA Plants Profile
• The Nature Conservancy

Notes and References

1. Scott Meidell . J. . Oppenheimer . H.L. . Bartlett . R.T. . 1998 . New Plant Records from West Maui . Bishop Museum Occasional Papers . Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1997 Part 2: Notes . 56 . 6 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240313135102/http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pdf/op56.pdf . 13 March 2024 . live.
2. Web site: Torres-Santana . Christian . Bruegmann . Marie . Zablan . Marilet A. . Shultz . Gina . Acaena exigua (Liliwai) 5-Year Review Summary and Evaluation . United States Fish and Wildlife Service. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111104300/http://www.fws.gov/ecos/ajax/docs/five_year_review/doc2525.pdf . 11 November 2012 . dead . 12 August 2024.