Hi Masashi,

Viola oahuensis is listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It can be found "between summits of Waimano and Aiea, O'ahu". I'm sure you're aware of this webpage: http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/viola.htm

When are you going there - are you sure that they will bloom in winter?

How exciting your trip sounds to me! I hope I will be able to go too...

Good luck,
Yang

Hi Masashi,

Get in touch with Dr. Gerald Carr, Univ. Hawaii in Honolulu - see link below for further info.

For example, you will find a link http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/viola.htm which includes a location for V. oahuensis "between summits of Waimano and Aiea" on Oahu. And he has a good photo of it - http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/vio_oah.jpg.

I am sure if you get in touch, especially in person in Oahu, you would get along well, especially since you both have a keen interest in photography, and computers as well. Gerald probably has access to herbarium specimens of all 7 Hawaiian Viola species, and I know you like to photo those as well.

Also, from one of the links: "Much additional information on Hawaiian flowering plants can be found in the "Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i" by W. L. Wagner, D. R. Herbst, & S. H. Sohmer." That may include location data.

Bear in mind that also on Oahu are:
- V. kauaensis (in just a few places)
- V. chamissoniana (330-1890m altitude in medium-wet forest)

In late November 2000 I was in touch by email with Kevin Lynch, who lives in Hawaii. He confessed to being a violet novice, but was sufficiently interested to have considered starting a violet society in Honolulu. He was going to get in touch with Gerry Carr. I don't know the current status of his plans or knowledge, but it would do no harm to get in touch. To preserve his privacy, I'll send you his email address separately.

Best of luck!
Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Gerald Carr page at sweetviolets.com

Dear Masashi,
Viola oahuensis (and others) are mentioned in "Revision of the Hawaiian species of Viola (Violaceae)" by Harold St. John in Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte u. Pflanzengeographie - page 165 -204, Stuttgart, 20. Dec. 1989 (in English). There is another account from Harvey E. Ballard jr. & Kenneth J. Sytsma - "Evolution and Biogeography of the Woody Hawaiian Violets" in Evolution 54(5)2000, pp. 1521-1532 which maybe of interest to you too.
Best wishes
Gerd

Thank you for your information.
I have some data of specimen of Violets there, but the person who live
in Oafu and whose job is natural tour guide (but maybe he knows little
about plants) informed us that there is no Violet along the trekking
course.
Every data from you is very useful for me. Thank you again.

Yang, I have no exact information on the flower season of Hawaiian viola.
There are various information on it. Some is in summer the other is
during winter. I guess Hawaiian viola bloom not at once but step by step
just like many tropical plants. At least there is photograph of Viola
tracheliifolia with flowers taken on mid January.

Sincerely,
MASASHI IGARI
Toyohashi, Japan
URL= http://www.plantsindex.com/

dear masashi,
regarding the flowering season of viola in hawaii, klaber mentions...
"V. kauaiensis was collected on December 15..."
the specimen was posted to her and used to prepare her illustration for "violets" so i assume the plant was in flower. this species is not in the same group as the woody violets, but perhaps indicates that violets in that climate are in flower in december.
good luck!
rob...

Yes, you most likely will have to establish an advance relationship with the handful of individuals that know exactly where the often tiny surviving populations of rare native Hawaiian plants such as these are well before going over there to be certain of success. Perhaps few people outside of a tight circle of botanists and similar types are likely to even know they exist - although with the recent publication of a coffee table book on rare Hawaiian plants and animals that situation may have changed a bit.

Another factor you may have to deal with is concern about your intentions. The rarest, most remarkable Hawaiian plants are often in the process of dying out; their exact whereabouts may be a guarded secret in some cases, since a desire to collect the last of something may arise among those who ought to know better.