The Plant Press

From The Plant Press, Vol. 28, No. 1, January 2025.

Art by Alice Tangerini

Schiedea waiahuluensis W.L.Wagner, Weller, B.Nyberg, & A.K.Sakai

Schiedea waiahuluensis, a newly discovered species from Hawai‘i, is likely the first plant to be identified and collected using drone technology. The species is found only on the dry cliffs of Waiahulu on the island of Kauaʻi, with an estimated population of around 345 individuals, primarily growing on bare rock surfaces in small pockets of soil. Seeds from the first drone-collected samples were sent to the greenhouses of the University of California Irvine, where nursery-grown plants allowed for detailed measurements and material for the official type specimen. Alice Tangerini used the Holotype cuttings sent from UC Irvine for the inked illustration of the habit and inflorescence. Digital images taken from the cuttings and UC Irvine photos were used for the flower details to show the diversity of the flower types and were drawn digitally in Adobe Photoshop.