Phyllostegia mollis

Description:

Waianae Range phyllostegiaLamiaceae (Mint family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Waianae Mts., Oahu only)IUCN: Critically EndangeredOahu (Cultivated)Phyllostegia is a near endemic Hawaiian genus in the mint family, Lamiaceae. There is one species in Tahiti, (Phyllostegia tahitensis), one in Tonga (P. tongaensis), and 32 species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.Phyllostegia are among the over 60 species of Hawaiian scentless mints, found nowhere else on the planet! EtymologyThe generic name Phyllostegia is from the Greek phyllon, leaf, and stego, cover, probably in reference to the leaf-like calyx lobes enclosing the flower in the type species P. vestita.The specific epithet mollis means softly hairy or soft.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/