Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_charpentiera_ovata
Pāpala
Charpentiera ovata var. ovata
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About Pāpala
Pāpala (Charpentiera ovata var. ovata) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Slender or shrubby tree up to 6 m. Alternate simple ovate leaves 5.9–27 × 3–13 cm with usually rounded bases, entire margins generally lacking developed marginal ribs, and 15–20 lateral vein pairs. Axillary reddish brown panicles 16–65 cm long with 10–20 primary branches bear tiny flowers on very short pedicels. Five sepals, no petals; indehiscent utricles. Mature leaf and slender pendent panicle appearance follow explicitly identified var.ovata photographs.
Kauaʻi evidence
Taxonomy and island occurrence retain the Smithsonian checklist evidence. Habit, leaves, flowers and broad habitat were corrected against Bishop Museum’s explicit Charpentiera ovata var. ovata treatment; the legacy Smithsonian species-description URL serves C. obovata and is excluded as morphology evidence.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Charpentiera ovata var. ovata
- Common names
- Koʻolau Range papala
- Hawaiian names
- Pāpala
- Other names
- Charpentiera ovata · Charpentiera ovata var. ovata · Koʻolau Range papala · Pāpala · Charpentiera obovata var. ovata (Gaudich.) Wawra · Charpentiera ovata Gaudich.
- 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 native forest · Wet native forest
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable native-forest 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
- Pāpala (Charpentiera ovata var. ovata) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Slender or shrubby tree up to 6 m. Alternate simple ovate leaves 5.9–27 × 3–13 cm with usually rounded bases, entire margins generally lacking developed marginal ribs, and 15–20 lateral vein pairs. Axillary reddish brown panicles 16–65 cm long with 10–20 primary branches bear tiny flowers on very short pedicels. Five sepals, no petals; indehiscent utricles. Mature leaf and slender pendent panicle appearance follow explicitly identified var.ovata photographs.