ʻĀkala

Description:

This plant was growing in 10,025 feet elevation, at the summit of Haleakala national park. This is unusual for this elevation, because this plant is very common, at Koʻolau Gap in Haleakalā, but not at the summit, for which I think it was smaller than a normal plant. This plant is a deciduous shrub, typically growing as a clump of erect or (when longer) arching canes, 1.5–3 m (4.9–9.8 ft) long. The leaves are compound, with three leaflets. A regular plant's fruits are red, large (up to 4 cm or 1.6 in long and 2.5 cm or 0.98 in wide), and edible but not often eaten, as it is sour and somewhat bitter, but in this case, the plant most likely wouldn't produce any fruit, due to the minimum source of pollinators in the area.

Habitat:

Haleakala national park, Maui, Hawaii. Was located at the summit (elevation 10,025 feet).

Notes:

Flower was notably smaller than regular flowers of this plant.