Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_melicope_spathulata
Pilo kea
Melicope spathulata
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About Pilo kea
Pilo kea (Melicope spathulata) is a tree; shrub recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Kauaʻi evidence
Accepted status, Kauaʻi occurrence, nativity, growth form, and names were audited against the 2026 Smithsonian checklist and linked habit source. Scientific synonyms: Melicope grandifolia A. Gray; Platydesma campanulata H. Mann; Platydesma campanulata f. coriaceum Rock; Platydesma campanulata var. macrophylla Hillebr.; Platydesma campanulata var. pallida Hillebr.; Platydesma campanulata var. pubescens Skottsb.; Platydesma oahuensis H. Lév.; Platydesma spathulatum (A. Gray) B. C. Stone; Platydesma spathulatum f. kalalauense O. Deg. & I. Deg.; Platydesma spathulatum var. pallidum (Hillebr.) B. C. Stone; Platydesma spathulatum var. pubescens (Skottsb.) B. C. Stone; Platydesma spathulatum f. stonei O. Deg. & I. Deg..
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Melicope spathulata
- Hawaiian names
- pilo kea
- Other names
- Melicope spathulata · pilo kea · Melicope grandifolia A. Gray · Platydesma campanulata H. Mann · Platydesma campanulata f. coriaceum Rock · Platydesma campanulata var. macrophylla Hillebr. · Platydesma campanulata var. pallida Hillebr. · Platydesma campanulata var. pubescens Skottsb. · Platydesma oahuensis H. Lév. · Platydesma spathulatum (A. Gray) B. C. Stone · Platydesma spathulatum f. kalalauense O. Deg. & I. Deg. · Platydesma spathulatum var. pallidum (Hillebr.) B. C. Stone · Platydesma spathulatum var. pubescens (Skottsb.) B. C. Stone · Platydesma spathulatum f. stonei O. Deg. & I. Deg.
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Endemic
- Conservation status
- Smithsonian checklist assessment: Apparently Secure; U.S. status: No Status
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Island-level occurrence is retained; finer locality is intentionally withheld
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Mesic forest · Wet forest
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable habitat substrate
- Reproduction
- Viable flowers or seed and suitable establishment conditions; species-specific reproductive review remains open
- Shelter
- Suitable native vegetation structure and substrate
- Growth form
- Tree; Shrub
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Species-specific threat review pending; no fine-location evidence is published in this card
- Conservation actions
- Protect native habitat and verify species-specific actions against current conservation sources
- Monitoring
- Taxonomic identity, population condition, recruitment, and locally documented pressures; exact locations withheld
- Data gaps
- Species-specific ecology and threat citations · Reproductive phenology · Fine-scale habitat information intentionally not published
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not assessed
- Seasonal description
- Pilo kea (Melicope spathulata) is a tree; shrub recorded on Kauaʻi. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Sources and further reading
- https://doi.org/10.5479/si.32124043
- https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/hawaiianflora/speciesdescr.cfm?genus=Melicope&species=spathulata
- https://plantsofhawaii.org/detail/%7B69BB7994-ED2F-4759-804F-5C0703D0178A%7D
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5784234/
- https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/botany/hawaiianflora/genusdescr.cfm?genus=Melicope