cyrtandra
Cyrtandra × alata H.St.John & Storey
Cyrtandra × alata is a Hawaiian shrub of wet tropical environments. A member of the gesneriad family, it originates from a cross between Cyrtandra hawaiensis and Cyrtandra laxiflora, two members of the same genus. Kew Plants of the World Online: Cyrtandra × alata
Botanical name
Kew accepts Cyrtandra × alata as the hybrid of C. hawaiensis and C. laxiflora. The original name was published as a species in 1950; the frozen database identity is retained. Kew Plants of the World Online: Cyrtandra × alataSt. John and Storey (1950): Diagnoses of New Species of Cyrtandra from Oahu
Recognizing the plant
Its leaves grow in opposite pairs and have firm, papery blades 13–24 cm long. The blades are narrow-elliptic to lance-shaped, with short tapering tips, finely toothed edges and hairy undersides. Their bases extend conspicuously downward below the blade. The lightly hairy flower clusters bear seven flowers. Each flower has a calyx 16–21 mm long, divided into narrow, linear to lance-shaped, blunt-ended lobes 6–11 mm long. The corolla measures about 23 mm and is hairless, while the slender style has fine hairs. St. John and Storey (1950): Diagnoses of New Species of Cyrtandra from Oahu
Native range
The hybrid is native to the Hawaiian Islands. Its original collection was made in Punaluu Valley in Oahu’s Koolau Mountains, at an elevation of 1,900 feet above sea level, by M. Yamaguchi and W. B. Storey. Kew Plants of the World Online: Cyrtandra × alataSt. John and Storey (1950): Diagnoses of New Species of Cyrtandra from Oahu
Botanical sources
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Cyrtandra × alata
- St. John and Storey (1950): Diagnoses of New Species of Cyrtandra from Oahu
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.