Brighamia insignis
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 Brighamia insignis
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| Brighamia insignis |
Brighamia insignis (Hawaiian alula) is an endangered species of Hawaiian lobelioids, native to the island of Kauai. This short-lived perennial species is a member of a unique endemic Hawaiian genus with only one other species. It is now extremely rare. In 2000 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reported five populations totaling 45 to 65 individuals.
B. insignis is a member of the bellflower family (Campanulaceae), and is a potentially branched plant with a succulent stem that is bulbous at the bottom and tapers toward the top, ending in a compact rosette of fleshy leaves. It has clusters of fragrant yellow flowers in groups of three to eight in the leaf axils. Petals are fused into a tube 7 to 14 centimeters (3 to 6 in) long. The fruit is a capsule 13 to 19 millimeters (0.5 to 0.7 in) long containing numerous seeds.
B. insignis is found from sea level to 480 meters (1,575 ft) elevation on rocky ledges with little soil or on steep sea cliffs. They are found in lowland dry grasslands or shrublands with annual rainfall usually less than 170 centimeters (65 in.)
According to the U.S. Botanical Gardens, its only pollinator was a certain type of now-extinct sphingid moth. This has made it all but impossible for B. insignis to reproduce on its own.
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