Kauaʻi record · KCA-FUNGI-000001
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death wilt fungus
Ceratocystis lukuohia
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About Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death wilt fungus
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death wilt fungus is documented for Kauaʻi or tied to local survey work. Role: Vascular wilt pathogen of ʻōhiʻa. Associated habitat or substrate: ʻŌhiʻa sapwood and wounded tree tissue; infected forest environments.
Kauaʻi evidence
ROD sources identify C. lukuohia as one of two ROD fungi and confirm Kauaʻi detections/management response.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Ceratocystis lukuohia
- Common names
- Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death wilt fungus
- Family
- Ceratocystidaceae
- Order
- Microascales
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Detected on Kauaʻi; active conservation-management concern
- Origin
- Introduced / emergent
- Conservation status
- High conservation concern
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Occurrence strength is explicit; statewide/Hawaiian checklist evidence is not treated as a precise Kauaʻi site record.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- ʻŌhiʻa sapwood and wounded tree tissue; infected forest environments
- Ecological role
- Vascular wilt pathogen of ʻōhiʻa
- Food and resource needs
- Vascular wilt pathogen of ʻōhiʻa
- Reproduction
- Spore production or clonal/mycelial growth; source-specific details vary
- Shelter
- Metrosideros polymorpha / ʻōhiʻa
- Substrate
- Metrosideros polymorpha / ʻōhiʻa
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Major threat to ʻōhiʻa forests, watershed function, cultural resources and native forest structure
- Conservation actions
- Retain observations with provenance; protect sensitive sites; support specialist review; apply disease hygiene and management protocols when relevant
- Monitoring
- Record substrate, host, microhabitat, date, rainfall/moisture, visible morphology, photos, specimen/voucher status, DNA status, and attendant biota
- Data gaps
- Kauaʻi voucher status, precise taxonomic confirmation, microhabitat, host/substrate specificity, abundance, and seasonal pattern need expansion.
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Often moisture- and substrate-dependent; Kauaʻi timing requires repeated observation
- Seasonal description
- Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death wilt fungus is documented for Kauaʻi or tied to local survey work. Role: Vascular wilt pathogen of ʻōhiʻa. Associated habitat or substrate: ʻŌhiʻa sapwood and wounded tree tissue; infected forest environments.